


The Things No One Else Sees

by Anogete



Category: Hockey RPF
Genre: Enemies to Friends to Lovers, F/M, Indie Music, Romance, Slow Burn
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-11-25
Updated: 2017-11-25
Packaged: 2019-02-05 23:34:09
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 7
Words: 58,497
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12804804
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Anogete/pseuds/Anogete
Summary: Lucy was not Joffrey Lupul's type.  In fact, he thought she was a judgmental bitch who had nothing in common with him other than a group of friends.  Lucy thought Lupul was predictable with poor taste in women since he was unable to keep his dick in his pants.  Dating was out of the question because they actively disliked each other.  That is, until rocky relationships put them beside each other on bar stools.  One thing leads to another, and suddenly they realize first impressions can be deceiving.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Hello, everyone! This fic was originally posted on Mibba back in August of 2013. It features Joffrey Lupul and an original character. I've merged chapters for ease of reading and posting. Of all the fics I've written, this is one of my personal favorites. Like many authors, I put a little bit of myself in each of the characters I write, especially the original characters. Lucy is special to me because she's most like me. If you want to find me through my original characters, then Lucy is where to look.
> 
> If you're here because you like my writing style, then THANK YOU for trusting me. You probably want to know what this dude looks like, though. Here is Joff...
> 
>  
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> 
> Music played a very important role in this fic because it is one of the first things Joff and Lucy really connect over. I've linked certain songs I mention in the fic within the text itself. The link should take you to YouTube where you can listen if you choose.
> 
> I'd love to hear from you if you decide to give this a whirl. Comment and kudos are appreciated. You can also reach me on Tumblr under the same name. Or you can email me at anogete527@yahoo.com. Enjoy!

She was on the bar in a short skirt. He slumped down in the chair a few tables back and ran a hand roughly through his hair. The club was loud, and the music was pounding, and he really wished he had stayed at home because watching his girlfriend flash her panties to half the room was not his idea of a good time.

Destiny was his type all over--tall, blonde, gorgeous, flirtatious. He’d met her at a club a couple months ago, and she’d latched onto him immediately. He couldn’t lie; having a beautiful woman treat you like you were a king felt amazing. Except the treating him like a king part had only lasted a couple weeks. Now she liberally spent his money and flirted with every guy in sight. He didn’t think she was cheating--yet--but she certainly liked attention.

He’d had three drinks and wasn’t drunk enough to deal with her bullshit tonight, but he didn’t want to leave because he cared about her and didn’t want to hear about her going home with someone else tomorrow during practice. Half the team had gone out to the club, and he almost felt ashamed that his girlfriend was showing off the goods to his teammates.

Standing up, he turned his back as she bent over and flashed her panties to everyone behind her. His stomach felt sick. There was a quiet alcove in the back of the room near the bathrooms. He’d just go find a table and gather his thoughts away from the pounding music, and then he’d march over there, pull her off the bar, and take her home.

All of the three tables in the back were occupied. The smallest one only had one person--a woman with shoulder-length black hair in ringlet curls with bang swept off to the side. She was in a pair of jeans and a sequined top that was falling off her shoulder. Thick-framed, black glasses were perched on her nose. He recognized her as his friend Jacob’s cousin. Lucy was her name. She would occasionally tag along with Jacob when they went out because the two were close. Joff had spoken with her a couple times before, but the two of them didn’t seem to have much in common.

He plopped down in the chair across from her. She watched him with her dark eyes. “What’s up with you, Lupul?” she asked in her sweet little voice. Now he remembered why they didn’t talk much. He always felt like she was judging him.

“Tired,” he replied. “Why are you back here by yourself?”

“I’m not. Dennis went to the bathroom.”

Joffrey racked his brain, trying to remember who Dennis was. Suddenly, he put a face with the name. Her boyfriend. Jacob had told him a few weeks ago that his cousin had been dating a guy for about a month. “Sorry, I took his chair,” Joff said.

Lucy shrugged. “It’s fine. Where’s Destiny?”

“On the bar.”

Lucy grimaced and took a sip of her cocktail. “You know how to pick ‘em, don’t you?”

“She’s just had too much to drink.”

The woman across from him raised her brows as the corners of her mouth lifted slightly. “Sure. Whatever you say.”

Her comment irritated him. Who gave a fuck what little Miss Perfect thought? She was probably just jealous of Destiny. Lucy was a pretty girl, but was ordinary in almost every respect. He’d never really paid much attention to her, and most other guys probably treated her the same. Destiny got attention wherever she went with her long, blonde hair and her double D tits. Plus, she was way more friendly. Lucy just had dark eyes and judgement.

“Fuck you, Lucy,” he said, pushing himself up from the table. “Mind your own business.”

She narrowed her eyes at him. “I was before you came back here and sat at my table, Lupul.”

Joff turned away with a stiff back and walked over to the bar. His fingers curled into fists when he saw a man in a baseball cap try to shove a dollar into the waistband of Destiny’s skirt. She laughed at him and took the dollar, tucking it in herself before flipping her mane of blonde hair around into his face.

Goddammit. He stormed over to the bar and grabbed her hand. She looked down at him, winked, then smiled. “Hey, baby,” she purred. “Wanna dance?”

“No. I want to go.”

“But I’m having fun,” she whined.

Joff clenched his teeth. “I’m not. Can we go?” Before she could respond, he grabbed her around the legs and pulled her off the bar, sliding her down to the floor easily. Half her weight was probably in her chest.

“Don’t be such a buzzkill,” Destiny said, running her hands up his chest and over his shoulders. “Come on, daddy.”

He could feel his anger slipping. She knew how to work him, how to make him feel like he was important. “Let’s go back to my place, baby. You’re making me crazy.” And she was making him crazy. He wanted to deck every guy in the club for looking at her almost as much as he wanted to hike her little skirt up and pull her panties to the side so he could fuck her against the wall.

Destiny grinned. “Okay. Let’s go back to your place.”

Joff’s smile was more like a grimace as he pulled her out of the club and out to his car. It always happened this away. He and Destiny had been playing out this scene for two months. He wondered when it would get old.

* * *

Two months and two weeks and it was getting old. They were at a bar after a game and Destiny was drunk and standing on a chair as she swayed her hips to the beat of the live music. He’d knocked back five beers as soon as they walked in the door. He had a buzz, but that didn’t make him feel any better about her antics.

Turning his back on her, he waved for another beer. His personal life seemed like a cycle of women that were absolutely no good. Destiny was just the latest in a long line of women who all needed the attention of everyone in the room. At first it was attractive, but after a few weeks it was just exhausting.

Joff looked over to the left and saw Lucy three stools away. Her boyfriend was beside her. He looked like an asshole--long hair pulled back in a low ponytail, silver rings on his hands, and tattoos up his forearms. He watched Dennis lean in and whisper something to Lucy before pushing away from the bar and walking toward the bathroom.

Lucy looked miserable for a fleeting moment. It was almost shocking. She always seemed so together and aloof. He felt like shit after watching Destiny eye-fuck the entire place, so he got up and moved down the bar to take Dennis’ stool. “Hey,” he said.

She looked over at him. “Hey,” she replied before turning her eyes back to her drink.

“Where’d your boyfriend go?”

“Away.” She looked extremely unhappy.

“Where to?”

“Probably the bathroom. Where’d your girlfriend go?”

Joff looked over his shoulder. “She’s on a chair over there. Easy to spot.”

Lucy look behind her and shook her head. “Hey, at least you always know where she is.”

“And what color underwear she’s wearing,” Joff replied.

She laughed and turned back around to stare at her drink again.

“So, Jacob said you and Dennis have been together for a month or so.”

“Yeah,” she said. The word was loaded, like she wanted to say a lot more, but stopped herself. They sat in silence for a long moment before she said, “I’m breaking up with him.”

Joff looked at her with wide eyes. What was she talking about? They had looked pretty cozy a few minutes ago. “Like now?”

“Soon.”

“Why?”

She dropped her forehead to the bar, her shoulders hunched over. He looked down at her, wondering where the judgmental cousin of Jacob’s had gone.

“He’s in the bathroom doing... I don’t know... cocaine or whatever. I just found out yesterday that he’s some druggie.” Her voice was muffled because she was still bent over the bar.

Joff didn’t know what to say. “Oh, wow. I didn’t know.”

“Yeah. I can’t have that shit in my life. I just have to figure out a good time to... give him the boot.”

“Sorry.”

Lucy lifted her head and waved the apology off. “He’s kind of a dick anyway.”

Joff smiled at her. “If it makes you feel any better, my girlfriend is giving every guy in the bar a show over there.”

“Every guy but you,” she agreed.

He sighed. “Yeah, I know.”

“Your type though, I guess.”

Joff glanced over at her. “What do you mean?”

“She’s your type. Blonde, big boobs, short skirt, high heels, attention whore. As soon as you break up with her, I can predict the next one with astounding accuracy.”

Her comment rocked him back on his proverbial heels. “I don’t have a type.”

Lucy laughed. “Oh, Lupul, please. You totally do.”

He opened his mouth to deny it again, but she might have a point. He looked over his shoulder at Destiny. Someone had brought her a shot, and she was knocking it back and then pointing at the band, demanding they play this or that. The band was shit--a blues cover band that couldn’t play their way out of a paper bag. Destiny was damn near ugly, reaching out to make sure everyone was paying attention to her. He thought back to the last girl and the girl before her. Lucy was probably right.

“I should go over there and stop her,” he said.

Lucy glanced over and looked at Destiny. “I guess. Good luck.”

“Yeah,” he replied. “Good luck with... Dennis.”

She scrunched her nose up. “Thanks. I’m going to need it.”

When he got over to Destiny, she was practically falling off the chair. He had a buzz going, but it was nothing compared to hers. “Baby, let’s go home,” he said, wrapping an arm around her waist and pulling her off the chair.

His friend Jacob, who was also Lucy’s cousin, grimaced at Joff as he pointed at Destiny and lifted his hand up to indicated drinking. Yeah, it was obvious she’d had two or three too many drinks.

“I’m going to move away from Toronto,” Destiny announced, holding onto Joff’s shoulders. “People here don’t appreciate me. I can sing, you know. I could make it in L.A. I have talent.”

“I know, baby. Let’s go.” Sometimes she got like this when she was drinking. He hated it. If she didn’t end things by fucking around with some other guy, then he was going to have to end things before the month was out. It was the vicious cycle that he’d been through before. Attracted like a moth to a flame at first, and then he got sick of all the drama. Her body and the sex were both amazing, but it wasn’t worth all this bullshit.

“Oh my GOD! Angie!” Destiny pulled away from him and squealed in delight at a woman a few yards away.

The band was droning on, playing subpar blues over the noise of so many different conversations. His head was starting to hurt. He had practice tomorrow at ten o’clock. He needed to go home, and didn’t have time to babysit a drunk girlfriend. Defeated, he sat down at Jacob’s table with two other friends and watched Destiny chatter away to the other woman.

“Waiting for Destiny?” Jacob asked.

“Yeah. Not sure how much longer we're going to last.”

Jacob shook his head. “At least you never run out of them.”

Joff wanted to tell his friend that he wished he would run out of Destinys so he could stop the sick cycle he was in. He didn’t, though. Five beers and a loud blues bar just weren’t ingredients in a heart-to-heart with one of his best friends.

After a few minutes of trying to ignore how terrible the band was and trying to suppress his irritation with Destiny, he heard a clamor off to the right.

“What the fuck?” Jacob said, standing up.

Joff could see Dennis, Lucy’s deadbeat boyfriend. He had her upper arm in his hand, and his face was inches from hers. It didn’t look good, especially when Joff knew she had intended on breaking up with him.

Within a second, he and Jacob were both making their way over to the bar where the two were standing.

“Hey, man. Let go of her,” Jacob said.

Dennis glanced over at them. “Fuck you, man. This is between her and me.”

Lucy struggled to pull her arm out of Dennis’ grasp, but his fingertips were pressing too tightly into her flesh. It set Joff off and he reached out to break the man’s grip. Dennis was taken by surprise and lost his hold on Lucy the second that Joff’s hand grabbed his shoulder. He swung at Joff, but missed. By then Jacob was on the man, punching him in the face and then in the stomach. Dennis ended up on the floor of the bar, out cold.

The crowd of people around them erupted. Two men at the bar cheered their approval while a woman shrieked and hurried behind the bar. Two bouncers, one by the stage and another by the door were descending on them.

“Are you okay?” Joff asked Lucy. Her dark hair fell in soft curls around her face, and her bangs had flopped over to obscure one eye.

“I just want to go home,” she said, turning around to head for the door.

“You okay?” the bouncer asked her as she pushed through a line of people who were gawking at the man on the floor.

“Fine,” she mumbled, putting her head down and moving past everyone.

He looked back at Jacob, who was explaining what had happened to a group of men around him while the bouncer tried to rouse Dennis, the druggie.

“Hey,” Joff said, jogging after her. “Do you need help getting home?”

“No.”

The cold February air was a shock after the humid heat of the bar. “Let me call you a cab,” he said.

Lucy leaned her back against the brick exterior of the building. “I called one before the thing with Dennis. I wanted to get the hell out of here after I told him we were through.”

“I’ll wait with you. He’s a jerk, and I don’t trust him.”

She rolled her eyes. “I’m fine, Lupul. Go find your girlfriend.”

“I’m trying to be a nice guy here,” he said. Who did this girl think she was, busting his balls when she didn’t even know him? He was just trying to help.

Lucy sighed and crumpled to the ground to sit with her back against the wall and her legs out across the sidewalk. “I know. I just want to be alone. This has been a bad week.”

Joff settled down on the sidewalk a few feet from her. “I’ll just sit here with you while you wait. We don’t have to talk.” He wasn’t sure why he offered. He felt like they were both going through something similar at that moment in time--lost in the sea of failed relationships--and it didn’t take much to throw her a life preserver just for a minute. True to his word, he kept his mouth shut and sat beside Lucy for over ten minutes until the cab pulled up to the curb. 

“See you, Lupul,” she said as she stood up and walked toward the vehicle.

* * *

He had the flu. The symptoms started during the last away game in Ottawa, but he ignored them, hoping it was all in his head. It wasn’t, and by the time he was back in Toronto, he was flat on his back in bed when he wasn’t bent over the toilet emptying his stomach. The medical staff told him he wasn’t playing until he had recovered. The worst of it was over, but his body was still trying to build up energy reserves. Which was why he was at home on the day of a home game instead of at the rink for morning skate with the rest of the team.

He was sprawled out on the couch watching an infomercial on the Insanity workout program when his doorbell rang. Jacob had offered to bring by lunch, so he shuffled over to the door and opened it without checking the peephole. Standing in front of him was Lucy. She was in jeans, a white shirt and a black wool coat. Her black hair was tamed into a french braid and her glasses stood out on her face. She was kind of cute when she wasn’t looking at him like he was an asshole. She was standing at his door with a bag.

“Uh, hi, Lucy.”

Lucy gave him a strained smile and held up the bag. “Jacob sends lunch.”

“I thought Jacob was bringing lunch.” He stepped back to let her in. He was in sweats and an old T-shirt, and he hadn’t showered this morning. Not that impressing Lucy was on his list, but he didn’t like any woman to see him when he wasn’t at his best.

Lucy ducked past him and looked around his place, finally walking over to the coffee table and putting the bag down. “I told him I would bring it because you were nice to me a couple weeks ago, and you deserve a pay back. Sorry to disappoint.”

Joff walked over and sat down on the couch, watching her pull a couple salads out of the bag and then a foil tray of chicken and pasta. She pushed one of the salads and the pasta down the coffee table to him. “I’m not disappointed. Just surprised. You and I aren’t exactly friends.”

“Yeah, I’m a judgmental bitch,” she replied, glancing over at him with a cheeky smile on her face before she pulled the clear lid off her salad and dumped the dressing over it.

He chuckled. “I wouldn’t have put it exactly like that. But that’s the gist of it.”

“Well, you’re a playboy who can’t keep it in your pants.”

“There’s that judgmental bitch. I knew she was in there somewhere.”

Lucy laughed and dug into her salad. He did likewise, watching her out of the corner of his eye. He had never paid much attention to Lucy. He didn’t even know her last name, just that she was Jacob’s cousin and she didn’t care about hockey. She was probably the only person in Canada who didn’t care about hockey. He’d met her several times, usually at parties or when Jacob invited her to a go out with them to a club or bar, but they had never had anything that qualified as a conversation. She’d just faded into the background pretty easily. He wondered why they’d never talked now that he’d gotten more of a taste of her personality.

“I hope you’re not still contagious,” she said when he finished up his salad and picked up the container of pasta.

“Fever broke yesterday. I’m safe.”

“Good. I’ve got a field trip tomorrow, and I can’t be puking my guts out behind the bus.”

“Field trip?”

She nodded.

“What kind of field trip?”

“To the Science Center,” she said. He must have looked at her like she was crazy because she rolled her eyes at him. “I’m a teacher. My class is going to the Science Center.”

She was a teacher? Weren’t teachers supposed to be old? All his teachers had been. “What do you teach?”

“Grade five. Hellions.” She sat her salad container on the coffee table and settled back onto his couch.

“Oh, that’s cool. Do you like it?”

Lucy nodded her head. “I do. Except for when I get a little Lupul in my classroom, and then I hate it.”

He finished chewing his food. Finally, he said, “Can’t you ever stop busting my balls? I thought you were trying to pay me back for being nice to you.”

“Yeah, sorry. You’re an easy target.”

“Whatever happened to, uh, Dennis?”

She grimaced and leaned her head back, closing her eyes. “It’s a mess. He’s still calling and texting me. I might have to take out a restraining order.”

Joff swallowed his food. “What? Are you serious? Jacob and I will talk to him if he’s still...”

“I’m joking, Lupul,” she said. “Well, I’m not joking about the calling and texting, but things aren’t so bad that I need to get the court involved. No rescue needed.”

He narrowed his eyes at her, noticing the faint dusting of freckles sprinkled over her cheeks and nose, the way her lips shined with the coral lipgloss she’d probably put on when she left the house. “You’re such a bitch,” he told her, smiling all the time.

Lucy let loose a bark of laughter. “You’re such an asshole. How’s Destiny, the model slash stripper?”

“Still Destiny.”

“Still dancing on bars and living the Katy Perry I-Kissed-a-Girl life?”

“Judgmental bitch,” he reminded her.

Lucy stood up and slung her purse over her shoulder. “Her name is Destiny. It’s hard not to judge.”

Joff tried to keep the smile off his face as he followed her to the door. Laughing at a joke made at your girlfriend’s expense was not appropriate. Lucy opened the door for herself, but turned around to look at him once she’d gone outside.

“I suck at thank yous. But, thank you for being a nice guy and waiting outside with me that night. I appreciate it.”

“There. Was that so hard?” he asked.

“I’m dying inside,” she admitted with a grin. “Stay out of trouble, Lupul.”

* * *

Jacob had horrible taste in music. As soon as he stepped into his friend’s new loft, he started scanning the room for the source of the rap music. It was a laptop on a table by the window. While Jacob went to get him a beer from the fridge, Joff scanned through the list of albums in iTunes, trying to find something that would go over well with the ten to twelve people in the loft.

Jacob had just signed the lease two weeks ago and had invited friends over for a housewarming party. Destiny had agreed to go, but she came up with some last minute emergency photoshoot. Secretly, Joff was pleased that he could fly solo and just hang out with Jacob and their small circle of friends.

Pulling an armchair closer to the table, Joff accepted the beer bottle and settled himself in as [the new Black Keys album](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cMxfEcRhP-o) started. Much better than the shit that had been infiltrating the air when he walked into the place.

Jacob and his girlfriend were sitting on the chaise lounge a few feet away, laughing about the crazy woman downstairs who sang Michael Jackson songs in the shower. Joff was only half listening to them, the other ear tuned into the punchy drums and bass of the first song.

He took a long swig from the beer bottle and shifted his eyes around the room. Lucy was sitting across the way on a plush sofa beside the tall window. The early evening light of the setting sun was full on her face, giving her complexion a warm glow and bring out the faint freckles. Her hair was straighter than usual, but still wavy and falling around her face. Her glasses were perched on her nose, and one corner of her mouth lifted in a small smile when she caught him looking.

Joff didn’t think about it when he smiled at her. She was a bitch, but she was interesting. She also looked cute in her black leggings and oversized white silk shirt that was cinched around her waist with a wide black belt. She rolled her eyes and smiled back at him. No one else was around her; she was sitting by herself. Joff wanted to get up and go talk to her, but wondered if she would be annoyed with him. She always seemed to be annoyed with him.

Instead of getting up, he pointed at the laptop and lifted his brows. Lucy gave him a thumbs up and nodded her head. He felt a rush, like he’d impressed a girl he liked. But he didn’t really like her. She wasn’t his type, and he had a gorgeous, blonde model for a girlfriend. Which made it weird that he kept stealing glances at Lucy. She was looking at her phone screen and nursing a bottle of beer.

“What do you think?”

Joff looked over at Jacob. “What?”

“About my new place. Stop looking at my cousin like that.”

“Awesome place. And looking at her like what?”

Jacob narrowed his eyes. “Like she’s next on the list. You know she’d eat you alive. She thinks you're a dick.”

Joff almost physically reeled back at the accusation from one of his best friends. “I’m not looking at her like anything, man. I’ve got Destiny.”

“I thought you were halfway to breaking up with her. She’s a couple weeks past her shelf life.”

“What’s her shelf life?”

“Two months.”

He shook his head at Jacob and laughed, even though it wasn’t really funny. “Am I that predictable?”

“Totally, Loops.”

Instead of continuing a conversation he didn’t feel like having, he turned back to the laptop and switched to [a Morning Benders album](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FF_IETJUXKE). In the middle of March, it made him nostalgic for the summer and the beach. Lucy was still by herself, peeling the label off her bottle. He pushed out of the chair and walked over, casually draping himself on the far end of the couch, leaving plenty of space between them.

“You saved the day,” she said, not bothering to look at him.

“Did I?”

“Mmm, hmm. They were about to play T-Pain, and I was about to slit my wrists.”

Joff laughed as he settled into the couch, throwing his arm out and resting his hand just a few inches from her shoulder. He felt hyper aware of her body in relation to his. The feeling was strange, and he wasn’t sure he liked it. “Glad I could avert a suicide attempt. The world needs more judgmental bitches.”

“Someone has to balance out the hair-flipping Destinys out there, buddy,” she said with a grin.

They sat side-by-side just listening to the music. He kept his eyes down, looking at the peep-toe wedges on her feet. They revealed her burgundy polished toenails. The second track of the album came on and Joff finally looked over at her. “You like this?”

“The Morning Benders? I love it. Did you know they’re still making music under the name Pop Etc?”

Joff raised his brows at her. He didn’t know that. It wasn’t often that a woman told him something about music he didn’t know. Destiny listened to Mariah Carey almost exclusively, so they never talked about music. “No, I didn’t. Is it good?”

Lucy shrugged. “It’s okay. Different. More pop, more electronic. Worth a minute, though.”

A commotion at the door made them both look up. Destiny had just walked in with her sequined platform heels and a skin-tight dress. She looked amazing with her rack on display, and her legs were a mile long between the hem of the short dress and the beginning of those heels. She flipped her hair over her shoulder and opened her mouth to squeal with delight over the loft. Joff felt his teeth clench and a wave of irritation wash over him. She looked gorgeous, but she was so fucking obnoxious.

* * *

It was Jacob’s birthday, and Joff was wiping his sweaty palms on his jeans as he walked up to Lucy’s house. It was a small place on a quiet street with a tiny front yard. The brick exterior was weathered and had vines crawling up beneath the windows. He hadn’t seen her since the housewarming party over two weeks ago. After Destiny showed up, he'd spent his evening entertaining her and wishing he could just get the hell out of Jacob’s loft. All Destiny was good for anymore was sex. The longer she had clothes on, the more annoying she was. He hadn’t told her about Jacob’s party today because he wanted to enjoy himself instead of bounce around after her like a balloon tied to her wrist.

His knock was answered by the hostess herself. “Lupul,” Lucy said, nodding at him and stepping aside so he could enter the house.

“Nice place,” he said, looking around at the comfortable living room dominated by a sectional couch and a television.

“Come on, I’ll give the nickel tour that ends at the fridge where the beer is.” She walked off, not even looking back to see if he was following her. She didn’t have to look because of course he was following her. She was intimidating as hell for a girl who didn’t use her tits as a weapon. It was the first full week of April, and the first real warm spell of the spring had hit the day before. She was in a blue and white sundress with ballet flats on her feet. He watched the way the hem of the dress brushed against the backs of her knees as she walked down a hall and pointed into a doorway.

“Library,” Lucy said.

Joff poked his head inside. There was a small desk, a wall of bookshelves filled with books, and two huge armchairs that looked like they belonged in a castle. He opened his mouth to say something, but she was already at the next door.

“Bathroom.”

It was small, but clean. A shower and tub combination was against the far wall and the vanity was cluttered with girl things--lotions, creams, makeup, hairspray. Her girl things. He wanted to stop and look at everything for some odd reason, but she was pointing into another room.

“Bedroom,” she explained and then backtracked down the hall.

Joff let her go, stepping into her bedroom by himself and casting his eyes over the chest of drawers and the full-length mirror hanging on the wall. Her curtains matched the tan comforter on the bed and the shaggy rug on the floor. There were two pieces of artwork on the wall--both album covers. One of them caught his eye. He vaguely recognized the album.

“Hey, nosey neighbor. Are you done stalking through my bedroom?” she said, poking her head into the room.

“What’s up with the artwork?”

Lucy walked in to stand behind him. “It’s one of my [favorite album covers](https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/51GP34FGNCL.jpg).”

“Twilight Singers?” he asked, turning to look at her.

She looked taken aback. “Yeah. You’re the first person who knew.”

“Why this cover?”

She shrugged. “I don’t know. I like it. It’s mysterious and sexy.”

Joff looked at the picture again. It was just a woman from waist to knees, lifting a white skirt up to reveal black stockings and garters. Her crotch was hidden in the shadows of the skirt. He was intrigued at Lucy’s decision to put it in her bedroom. “I like it,” he finally said.

“I’m so glad you approve, Lupul, but it’s not a surprise since the picture is of a woman lifting her skirt. Near and dear to your heart, eh?”

He shook his head at her and chuckled. “You just can’t cut me any slack, can you?”

“Judgmental bitch, according to you. Come on. You haven’t seen the state of my kitchen. Jacob put the snacks in order by color. It’s some astounding feat of OCD.”

Joff took one last look at the almost scandalous artwork on her bedroom wall before following her back down the hall and through the living room. A few mutual friends were sitting on the sectional, watching a muted television while they argued about where the best Mexican restaurant in town was.

Her kitchen was modest with a small table in the middle of the floor. An array of chips and vegetables were arranged in bowls and trays on the table. Jacob, his girlfriend, and two other guys were sitting at the table drinking beers and making lewd stick figures with baby carrots, celery sticks, and cherry tomatoes. They all greeted him when he followed Lucy in.

She walked over to the fridge, pulled out a bottle of beer, and handed it over to him. “Thanks. Do you own this place?” he asked.

“I do. I bought it four years ago.”

“It’s nice.”

Lucy gave him a look that said she thought he was full of shit and feeding her lines. “Want to play DJ?” she asked.

“Depends on your music collection,” he replied.

She motioned for him to follow her back into the living room. In the far corner, away from the crowd of people was a laptop hooked up to a set of nice speakers. “I have excellent taste in music, but you can go ahead and prove to me that you do, too.”

He smiled at her and settled into a chair, pulling the computer onto his lap. Lucy perched on the arm of the chair, almost touching him. He’d never really been this close to her before, and it was distracting. She smelled nice, and he wasn’t sure how he felt about that, especially considering the salacious picture in her bedroom. “You know I have great taste in music,” he told her.

“It could have been a fluke,” she replied, looking over his shoulder as he scanned through her music collection. She had great stuff; their collections overlapped quite a bit, which was surprising.

He picked [Animal by Neon Trees](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xhb1ucr_phQ) and looked up at her as the vocals started. It was upbeat and suitable for a party.

The corner of her mouth lifted in a smile that she fought. “Oh, alright, asshole,” she said. “Good choice.”

“You should never have doubted me.”

“I thought you were probably a rap guy or a country guy.”

Joff blanched. “No, no, no. Never. I’m offended.”

“Where’s your arm candy?”

He looked up at her face and those dark brown eyes through the lens of her glasses. She looked dangerous, but he wasn’t sure why. “I might have forgotten to tell Destiny about the party.”

Lucy lifted her brows. “You’re going to be in the doghouse.”

Joff shrugged. “Dennis still trying to contact you?”

He watched her shoulders slump just the slightest. “Unfortunately. I’m not sure why I ever dated him.”

“Must have seen something in him,” Joff said, watching the way she looked down at the floor in front of them. Her thick, black lashes stood out in contrast to her skin.

“It was probably because he looks like Jared Leto. I have a crush.”

“The 30 Seconds to Mars singer?” he asked, making a face to show he didn’t care much for the band.

Lucy lifted her eyes to meet his. “He’s a better actor than a musician. My So-Called Life as Jordan Catalano? My dream guy.”

Joff shifted in the chair and looked up at her more fully. It felt strange to be talking to a woman who wasn’t flirting with him, who was basically telling him that he wasn’t her type. Well, she wasn’t his type either. So, they were even. “He looks like a douche,” he finally said.

“Who? Dennis or Jordan Catalano?”

“Both.”

Lucy rolled her eyes. “You’re just jealous of their good looks.”

“Hey, I’ve got my own good looks,” he replied. As soon as the phrase left his mouth, he wanted to take it back. What was he doing? Why was he flirting with her?

“Don’t be cocky. That’s not a good look,” she said, standing up.

He pulled up the songs from the album art that was hanging on her wall. They were all covers, [one of which was a Marvin Gaye song](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xhb1ucr_phQ). He hadn’t remembered hearing it, so he clicked play as soon as the Neon Trees song finished. Motown had never sounded so dark and angst-filled.

“So, I’m intrigued by this artwork on your bedroom wall,” he said, looking up at her as she stood next to his chair.

Lucy shook her head, trying to shut down the smile that was creeping up on her lips. The challenge of making her smile turned him on in some weird way. “It’s just a great cover. Playful, sexy, dark, mysterious, haunting. I like it.”

“This is a whole new side of you, Lucy,” he teased.

“I’m like an onion. So many layers.” She looked up to scan the room. “Keep the tunes coming. I’m going to check on Jacob. The carrot stick figures are probably blowing each other by now.”

* * *

The first playoff game was two days away. They were traveling to Boston tomorrow and Joff felt sick. Destiny was in his bedroom, throwing her clothes in one of his extra bags, and she was screaming at him intermittently. He really couldn’t blame her; he’d just broken up with her. It would be best to cut her out before the playoffs and the summer. The breakup was a long time coming, weeks overdue. He’d just hung on a little longer because he was tired of coming home to an empty bed when he was between girls.

Joff ran a hand roughly through his hair. Jumping from Destiny to Destiny was probably unhealthy. Maybe he should get a therapist.

“You’re a piece of shit! You don’t even deserve me!”

Her screeching voice cut through the thick atmosphere. He should probably get off the couch and go make sure she wasn’t cutting holes in his clothes or dumping all her perfume on his mattress, but he didn’t really want to see her. He hated this cycle of dating and breaking it off two or three months later. Destiny had lasted longer than most others, but less than four months really wasn’t a feat when you were thirty. Half his friends were already married. That felt uncomfortable.

“Fuck you, Joff. Fuck you!”

Her voice. Jesus. He wanted to blast music to cover it up. Music made him think of Lucy. He wondered what she’d think of him, hiding in the living room while Destiny packed her things. She’d probably call him a coward and an asshole. Lucy was irritating. He’d thought of her more often than he felt was warranted in the past week. There was a concert the day after the third game of the series--a singer named Esthero. She’d gotten her start in Toronto and often came back during tours to play a couple dates there. Fortunately, one show coincided with a break in the first series.

Joff had been planning to go, but he knew he was never going to take Destiny. Another good reason to break up now. Playoffs were stressful and she liked to talk about his performance, the summer was coming up, and he planned on going to Newport Beach for at least a month or two. He didn’t want to take her with him to the show. Maybe Lucy would want to go. He didn’t know anyone else who’d be interested in seeing something in the trip-hop genre.

“I hope you break your fucking leg out there on the ice, you dick!" he heard her scream. "Oh, and I fucked one of the Sharks when they were here for the game three weeks ago."

It was a low blow, and it was probably true. It was just surprising it had taken that long. Groaning, Joff pushed himself off the couch and shuffled into the bedroom. It was about time to kick her out.

* * *

He was standing outside the small concert venue with a baseball cap pulled low over his eyes. They were down one game in the first series, and he was feeling like they had a chance to come back and tie it up before they returned to Boston. He was also hopeful no one would recognize him tonight so he could enjoy the show and de-stress from the intensity of the playoffs. Joff glanced down the sidewalk and saw Lucy making her way toward him. It was obvious she hadn't seen him waiting yet, so he was able to give her a once-over.

She was in a pair of bootcut jeans and a bright yellow T-shirt that clung to her body. She probably didn't realize it showed off her chest to great advantage. The toes of her low-heeled boots poked out from beneath the jeans. He never knew what to think when it came to Lucy. Was he attracted to her? Was she trying to make herself attractive? Her hair was in soft black waves that just brushed her shoulders. Her indie-girl glasses framed her face nicely. Her lips were shiny with pink lip gloss, and her makeup light enough to reveal her freckles underneath. She certainly didn't try to make herself up like Destiny or any other girl Joff had shown interest in, but he still found he liked to look at her. Only when she didn't know, though. If she knew, then she'd bust his balls over it.

He saw the moment that she recognized him. Her gait picked up, and she headed to where he was standing. He felt like it was a strange first date. I wasn't a date, though; he hadn't even asked her to come. Well, he had, but through Jacob. Two days before the concert, he realized he didn't have Lucy's phone number. He had called Jacob and asked him to text Lucy and see if she wanted to come with him. Jacob had been suspicious and protective, but Joff had assured him it was just as friends since they shared a similar love of music.

Lucy hadn't even called him. She'd told Jacob to pass along her agreement to go. It felt strange. Joff wanted say he was going to a concert with a friend, but she wasn't even that. He still didn't have her number, and she was just an acquaintance at best.

"Lupul," she said, greeting him with a nod and stopping far enough out of his reach that he couldn't shake her hand or give her a friendly hug.

"Judgmental bitch," he replied, nodding back.

Lucy grinned and then succumbed to laughter as she bent over, holding her stomach. It was almost musical, her sweet giggles and gasping breaths. "Why aren't we friends, Lupul? You're funny as hell sometimes."

"Hey, I was thinking the same thing. I don't even have your number so I can invite you to concerts. I mean, I'm probably the only person you know with flawless taste in music."

Lucy composed herself, crossing her arms over her chest. All it did was push her breasts up and together. The yellow shirt was tight and gave him an amazing view. Damn, he thought. This is bad. I shouldn't be looking at her like this.

"You have Jacob’s number. He can call me if you need a concert partner. Why isn't Destiny with you, anyway?"

Joff drew a line across his throat with his index finger. "We're through."

She raised her brows. "Oh yeah? Your choice or her choice?"

"My choice. But she said it was a good thing because she fucked one of the Sharks a few weeks ago.”

Lucy winced. "Serious?"

He nodded.

"Shit, I'm sorry." When he responded by just shrugging his shoulders, she added, "But I guess what you get when you date model slash strippers named Destiny. Let this be a lesson to you."

"I knew I could count on you to make a joke about it. Everyone else is walking around like I got my heart broke."

"Which is obviously not true since you don't have one."

Joff opened his mouth, but nothing came out. Her comment had cut deep. He knew she was just joking and didn't really mean it, but it hurt all the same. "I didn't have one for Destiny," he finally agreed.

They stood in silence for a long, uncomfortable moment. Eventually, Lucy cleared her throat. "So are we going to go inside or what? I bet the opening act has already started."

* * *

Lucy was on the short side, only five feet, four inches. Another reason she wasn't his type at all. She fit perfectly in front of him in the press of the crowd against the stage, though. The had started out side by side, but as the crowd shifted, he found himself behind her, protecting her from everyone behind him. The place was hot, and she had pinned her hair up on top of her head, revealing the back of her neck. Despite how good the show was, every shift of her body kept distracting him.

[url=http://youtu.be/RqHJcZ03WkQ]The opening strains of Country Livin'[/url] started, and he looked down to see Lucy's smiling face turned to see him over her shoulder. "This is my favorite," she said, eyes shining with excitement. Of course it was. It was one of Esthero's older songs. Unique and vaguely sexy. Like Lucy. The pure happiness on her face made him glad he had invited her.

The dreamy song road over the stifling air of the club. Every now and then Lucy's ass would push back and brush the front of his pants. He glanced down and watched her hips sway from side to side as she moved to the beat. He flexed his fingers, resisting the urge to grab her hips and pull her back against him so they could dance properly, or at least dance the way he was accustomed. 

Lucy glanced over her shoulder, looking to see if he was enjoying himself. Her eyes were almost sparkling as she sang along to the lyrics. The music was too loud for him to hear her, but he knew she would sound sweet with just a little roughness to her voice. This was a very different side of her. Why hadn't they ever talked before now? He should have been friends with her all along. Maybe she could have given him advice on not dating the wrong kind of woman. Then he wouldn't feel this weird shame that his ex had cheated on him with other hockey players.

After a two song encore, the band left the stage for good. Joff bought two bottles of water on their way out the front door. The baseball cap and the oversized hoodie that hid his body coupled with the dark venue had helped prevent anyone from recognizing him,and whether it was intentional or not, Lucy had avoided calling him by name for most of the night. He was grateful.

"That was fantastic," she said before taking a long drink from her bottle of water. They were walking down the deserted side of the street toward the parking lot where they had both parked. "I've never seen her live."

Her yellow T-shirt was damp with sweat, and Joff wondered if she was chilly now that they were in the cool April air. He pulled his hoodie off and handed it to her. "Here, take it," he said. When she gave him a quizzical look, he continued with, "It's cold."

"Aren't you just full of surprises," she said, wrapping the fabric around her shoulders, but not actually putting it on.

Joff shrugged and knocked back half his bottle of water. "So, how have you been?"

“The usual,” she answered, adjusting his hoodie around her body. “We’ve got a couple months left before summer break at school. I feel like I need to get out of town this summer. Maybe rent a place up north on Lake Huron for a week or two.”

“The grind getting to you?”

“Yeah. Dennis won’t leave me alone. It’s getting old. I thought he’d forget about me after we broke up.”

Joff shifted his eyes over to her and then back in front of him. After you got to know her, Lucy was pretty hard to forget. He wasn’t surprised that Dennis was after her, but he still didn’t like it. “You want me to talk to him? Tell him to back off?”

She laughed and shook her head. “No. You don’t need to do that. I’ll just keep ignoring the texts and phone calls. But the minute he stops by my house, I’ll take you up on your offer to intimidate the shit out of him.”

“You should go out west. I really love southern California. Such a different vibe. People live outside there year-round. It’s amazing.”

They were in the parking lot, and he was going to have to say goodbye to her. He wasn’t quite ready yet.

“I think southern Cali is a bit out of my reach. I was thinking of driving my clunker three hours northwest and renting a little cottage for a week. Catch up on my reading and think about what I’m going to do with my life other than teach kids how to create a baking soda volcano.”

He could see her sitting on the front porch, feet bare, hair pinned up, little shorts showing off her legs, and a tank top dipping down to show a glimpse of her cleavage. The image made him feel a strange warmth deep down in his stomach. It wasn’t really desire, or at least not like he’d known it before.

“That sounds nice,” he replied, watching as she unlocked her gray hatchback and tossed the half-full bottle of water inside.

“Thanks for the concert, Lupul. And thanks for this, too.” She held out his hoodie. He accepted it from her and watched her slide into the driver’s seat. “I had a great time,” she said.

“Yeah,” he agreed. “Me too. Thanks for coming with me. Good luck on the last couple months of the semester.”

He turned away, wishing he could come up with a reason to keep her talking. “Hey,” he heard her call out.

Joff turned back around. “Yeah?”

“It’s the playoffs now, right?

She was so clueless. One side of his mouth curled up into a grin. “Yeah. Game four of the first series is tomorrow. We’re down by one.”

“Good luck, then.”

He held her gaze for a long moment. “Thanks,” he finally said before turning away to find his car.

* * *

He lifted her phone number off Jacob’s cell when his friend wasn’t looking. Was he proud of snooping? No. But he didn’t want to deal with Jacob’s questions about why he wanted Lucy’s phone number.

They had lost two in a row. One more loss and they would be eliminated. The stress was palpable because he needed to perform extremely well each second he was on the ice if they wanted to come back with the three wins they needed to advance. They were leaving in the morning for Boston, and he needed to get his mind off the frustration of not winning when he knew they were capable.

To blow off some steam, Jacob had invited him out for drinks at a local bar they frequented. It wasn’t a popular place, and Joff enjoyed getting away from all things hockey. It was nice to relax and not talk shop with anyone, to just act like a normal person.

Except a dirty blonde at the pool table a few yards away had recognized him. He could see the predatory look in her eyes as she strutted around the table and bent over to show him how her ass hung out of her denim shorts when she was practically lying on the felt of the table. She was hot--short shorts and a thin cotton tank top that showed off her bright pink bra. His type. For a fleeting moment, he stared back with heat in his eyes, letting her know he saw what she was offering.

Then he remembered standing behind Lucy a few days ago, watching her look back at him and smile. When he looked back over at the blonde, he just saw desperation. She’d probably end up pulling a Destiny and fucking another player. It wasn’t like it hadn’t happened before. The women that flaunted it usually got around, usually had a thing for hockey players. He’d fallen into that trap for so long, gotten caught up in the drama and emptiness.

He dropped his gaze and picked at the label on his beer bottle. Maybe this was what it felt like to grow up and realize that doing the same thing over again and expecting a different result was just insane. Destiny version 2.0 wasn’t going to make him happy. She might make sure he had a great night, but that probably wasn’t worth the bitching and attitude.

“Next on the list?”

He looked up to see that Lucy had slid into the empty chair beside him. Jacob was at the bar getting another round.

“Next on what list?”

“Do-me-now over there at the pool table. Next on your list of conquests.”

He shook his head. “Nope.”

“Don’t lie. You thought about it. She’s your type all over.”

Always busting his balls. She drove him crazy, but he was really starting to enjoy it. “I thought about it, but it’s not worth my time. I’m a new man. I’m going to do things different this time around.”

Lucy snorted. “Sure, Lupul. Whatever you say. Twenty bucks says you take her home tonight.”

He stuck out his hand. “Deal.”

After two more beers and some conversation with Jacob and Lucy, Joff excused himself to use the bathroom before he headed home. He needed to get some rest for tomorrow morning. When he came out of the men’s room, blondie was standing by the door.

“You play for the Leafs, don’t you?” she said in her best impression of a sexy voice. He almost wanted to laugh. Why did he ever fall for this shit?

“Nope, I just look like someone who does.” He pushed past her and made his way back to the table.

Lucy’s eyes went from him to the girl in the hallway. “Did you really just turn her down?” she asked.

Joff grinned. “You can keep your twenty, but you owe me lunch.”


	2. Chapter 2

_LUCY: Saw the news. That sucks. I'm sorry. When you’re back in town, I still owe you lunch. Saturday at noon?_

She sent the text at seven thirty on Tuesday morning, but he didn’t get it until almost three hours later. They had lost the conference quarter finals to the Bruins in overtime of game seven. He had gone back to the hotel frustrated and depressed and glad he didn't have to listen to a constantly babbling Destiny. Tuesday morning felt like he had a hangover, but he hadn't had a drink in days. It was just the adrenaline crash of the playoffs. He loved Toronto, but he was looking forward to getting out of town this summer. He missed the breeze coming off the Pacific Ocean, hitting the balcony of his Newport Beach house.

Joff wasn't sure how Lucy had got his number. He'd lifted hers from Jacob's phone, but had never used it. He texted her back as they were on the bus to the airport to return back to Toronto in shame.

_JOFF: Leaving on Sunday, but don't feel like going out to a restaurant on Saturday_

He wanted to see her, but not if it meant showing his face in public to a city he had just let down. She answered him back an hour later. 

_LUCY: How about my kitchen at noon on Saturday?_

He smiled and texted her back that he'd be there. The rest of the week was spent wrapping up loose ends and packing the things he wanted to bring with him. He’d met up with a couple teammates before they left town. He planned on going home for a couple weeks to visit with friends and family, then straight to Newport Beach where he could spend his days training and his nights relaxing.

He’d promised himself no women. He’d had enough of the revolving door. It was tiresome.

On Saturday morning, after a run on the treadmill, he showered and threw on a pair of jeans and a T-shirt. The sky was overcast, but the clouds seemed to be holding the warm air in since it was almost seventy-five when he pulled into Lucy’s driveway. This was the last item on his to-do list before leaving Toronto for the summer. It was also the one he’d been looking forward to the most. Lucy’s ambivalence to hockey was one of the reasons for that. Everyone else he knew loved the game and wanted to talk about it. Joff knew Lucy probably wouldn’t even bring it up unless he did.

“Hey,” he said when she opened the door. Her hair was pinned up and her ever-present glasses looked cute on her face. She was in a pair of capris and an old, worn Radiohead T-shirt. She wasn’t even trying to impress him, and that was driving him crazy. Why? Didn’t she like him? Girls always tried to impress guys, right?

“I hope you like tomato basil bisque and sandwiches. If you don’t, then you’ll have to eat freezer pizza.” She shut the door behind him, and then they were alone in her house. The sheer curtains were drawn over the open windows, leaving them fluttering when a breeze blew through.

She had music on--loud enough to hear, but not so loud it would overwhelm a conversation. As he followed her into the kitchen, he realized [she was listening to one of his favorite bands--Arcade Fire](http://youtu.be/GEZockGkEyY).

“You’re my musical soul mate,” he said, turning the corner. He really hadn’t meant much by it besides expressing his appreciation of her taste in music. She gave him a strange look, though. It was a combination of surprise and discomfort.

“Don’t be weird, Lupul,” she said, putting a tray of sandwiches on the table. They were all cut in half diagonally and held in place with toothpicks. It looked perfect--like she’d spent time preparing everything to look just right even if she didn’t want him to think she had.

After he sat down, she scooted a bowl of soup in front of him. It smelled delicious.

“How’s school been?” he asked once she had sat down across from him.

“Okay. We’re diagramming sentences and learning about cloud formations.”

“Sounds... fun.”

Lucy laughed and picked up half a sandwich. “Don’t lie. You’re bored out of your mind at the mention of it.”

“Okay, fine. I am. I’d be a horrible teacher.”

She swallowed the food in her mouth before saying, “You’d probably do fine at teaching something you know.”

“All I know is hockey.”

Nodding, Lucy said, “So, you’d be a great hockey teacher. Imagine all those little boys who desperately want to grow up to be just like you.” She paused and then shook her head. “What a frightening thought--you as a role model.”

He grinned and dug into his soup. “It IS a frightening thought.”

They ate in silence, listening to the music coming out of the speakers in her living room. It was nice to sit in the same place with someone and not have to deal with mindless chatter that clouded up his brain. The music was good and so was the company, even if they weren’t talking. Even if she didn’t really like him all that much.

After a couple more Arcade Fire songs played, her playlist switched to Portishead. “Wow, blast from the past,” he said, pushing his empty soup bowl away. There were bread crumbs all over the table because he’d had one too many sandwiches.

“I know,” Lucy agree. “Ever since that Esthero show, I’ve been going through all my old trip-hop from the nineties. Portishead was always the gold standard. No one can really touch them in my book.”

“What’s your favorite song?”

“Oh, god. I can’t pick.” She adjusted her glasses and put her elbow on the tabletop so she could prop her chin up in the palm of her hand. Lucy’s dark eyes were watching him, and he couldn’t help but shift under her gaze. “[Probably Glory Box](http://youtu.be/6ylDDs3mdJE). I know it’s a little overplayed. Everyone loves it, but it really is a stellar track. The guitar, the strings, the beat, her voice. All of it is just... perfect.”

“Dummy is a perfect album all over,” he agreed.

“Ugh, it’s a classic,” she said. “I feel like twenty years from now people will still be listening to it and wondering why it sounds so timeless.” Lucy tilted her head to the side. “So, what are your summer plans?”

Joff just shrugged. “Leaving tomorrow morning to visit my family back home. Spend maybe three weeks there,then head to Newport Beach. I’ve got a house there where I like to spend the summers. Kinda get away from it all while I’m off-season training.”

“Where’s Newport Beach?”

“It’s just south of Anaheim. When I was playing with the Ducks, I kinda fell in love with the area. I bought the house and kept it when I was traded to the Toronto.”

She smiled softly, an expression she’d never really shown him before. “Do you miss it?”

Joff nodded slowly. “I do. I can’t wait to watch sunsets on the Pacific and grill on the patio.”

“That sounds lovely,” Lucy replied. There was a beat or two of silence, both of them staring at each other. He felt tension in his chest, like he should do something, but he didn’t know what. Finally, she stood up and used a napkin to wipe the crumbs from the table into her hand. “Why don't you put those bowls in the sink?”

He did as he was told and then stood by the sink awkwardly while she wiped down the table with a damp cloth. Joff wasn’t really ready to leave. It was only fifteen ‘til one, and he had all afternoon to waste. Jacob was working and quite a few of his teammates were either preparing to go home for the summer or already there. The guys who spent the summer in Toronto hadn’t arrived yet.

While she rinsed the cloth off, he stepped into the living room. [My Morning Jacket was playing](http://youtu.be/3qJII8LniHI). It was one of his favorite songs from their first album. The sheer curtains fluttered against his arm as the breeze whipped through her house.

“Do you want to hang out and listen to music?”

Joff almost jumped when he heard her voice right behind him. She had her hands on her hips, and the Radiohead shirt pulled tight against her chest. The couch looked inviting--a comfortable spot to spend a lazy Saturday afternoon with a kindred soul. Even if it had taken them both a long time to realize that they had more than a friend in common.

“Yeah, that’d be good,” he finally said, settling down on the sectional. She disappeared into the kitchen and brought back two glasses of iced tea. Lucy curled up at the end of the couch, a cushion away from him. They listened to the rest of the song before it transitioned into Rilo Kiley, [an older song of theirs that he wasn’t all that familiar with](http://youtu.be/ovuIPNJrpMU). It was simple--vocals, a guitar, a song to sing along to.

“Did you decide what you were doing this summer?”

“Vacation rental on the lake probably. Me, some tunes, and some books.”

Joff nodded and took a drink of the tea to give his hands something to do.

“Dennis showed up a couple nights ago. I called the cops when he said he was going to camp out on my lawn. If I get out of town for a couple weeks, maybe he’ll get the picture.”

He leaned forward. “Are you okay?”

“I’m fine. It’s just... it’s old. I want him to go away so I can move on.”

“Do you want me to talk to him?”

Lucy laughed lightly. “No, Lupul. It’s fine. Jacob said he’d kick his ass if he showed up again. I don’t think he’s dangerous, just annoyingly persistent. I’m really not worth all the angst in these phone calls and texts.”

Joff shrugged. “You must be if he’s going to all the trouble.”

“It’s his addictive personality. I’m the new addiction, and I don’t want to be.”

He felt for the guy. Spending Saturday afternoons with Lucy like this--that could probably get pretty addictive. It’d suck to lose it now that he had it. “Well, if you need me to help Jacob kick his ass, let me know.”

“Shit, Lupul. Don’t get all chivalrous on me. You’ll make me start to like you.”

* * *

His trip home had been good, but he was glad to be back in Newport Beach. His house had an ocean view, and he felt amazing as he sat on the balcony listening to the dull roar of the ocean. Temperatures rarely got above seventy-five in the summer and rarely dipped below fifty in the winter. He couldn’t think of a better place to practically live outside.

He was having a beer and listening to that damn Rilo Kiley song that had been playing at Lucy’s house almost a month ago. He hadn’t talked to her since he’d left, but he thought about calling her every day. It was ridiculous because they weren’t friends like that. They weren’t casual friends who just called each other up and talked about their days. She was more complicated. He always felt like he needed to be on his toes to talk with her because she’d call him on his bullshit.

The school year had finished a week ago. He wondered if she was already driving up to the lake to rent a place. If he tried to call her, would she have reception? Would she answer?

Maybe a text would be okay. Maybe he could ask her how her summer was going. Joff picked his phone up off the table by his chair and sent the text before he could second guess himself.

_JOFF: How’s your summer going?_

Ten minutes later his phone dinged. He scrambled to pick it up, hoping it would be a response from her.

_LUCY: The usual. Thinking of getting away. How’s yours?_

Her song was playing again. He considered it her song now. He’d never heard it before that day in her living room.

_JOFF: Enjoying the view of the ocean from the balcony_

He swallowed and typed out another message. Couldn’t hurt to ask.

_JOFF: Why don’t you come out for a week or two instead of going up to the lake? I’ve got an extra room and I’ll give you the free friend discount_

She didn’t answer right away. He waited while five minutes ticked by, then ten. His steak was done, so he pulled it off the grill and let it rest on a plate while he stared at his phone.

Finally, after fifteen minutes of waiting, she responded.

_LUCY: I’m sure you don’t want me in your hair. I’m a judgmental bitch and you’re probably having fun_

Instead of texting her back, he dialed her number and pressed the phone to his ear. For a moment he thought she wasn’t going to answer.

“Texting isn’t enough?” she said when she picked up.

“I’m having fun, but not the kind you think I am. I’m listening to Rilo Kiley and grilling a steak. You’d have a good time if you came out here for a week.”

“I don’t know, Lupul. Why are you offering?”

He stood up and paced the balcony. Why was he offering? “Because you need a vacation, and I need someone to go to a show with. The National is playing in a couple weeks. I bet you like them.”

“I do, asshole. Are you sure you want me to come rain on your parade? It’ll be hard to find Destiny 2.0 when I’m giving you the stink eye for being a douche.”

Joff cleared his throat. “I’m not looking. Off the market for now, actually. Come out and be my concert buddy.”

She was silent for several long seconds. “Oh, fine. I’ve never been to California before.”

“You’ll love it. Go book a flight and text me the details. I’ll pick you up at the airport.”

“Why are you being so nice to me?” Lucy asked, suspicion in her voice.

“Because I’m a nice guy. You just didn’t give me a chance.”

* * *

Lucy had no idea what had possessed her to agree to spend a week with Joffrey Lupul at his house in California. It was probably the way he talked about the place. About how it was on the beach and how the breeze off the Pacific felt so good against your face at night when you sat out there and listened to the waves lap up against the shore. She really needed that after a particularly bad year.

She’d been passed over for a raise at work because of budget cuts. She’d been on one too many horrible first dates, and then the one guy that had stuck ended up being a druggie who thought it was cute to do coke in the bathroom of a bar while his girlfriend wondered why it took him so long to take a piss. The betta fish she’d had for five years had died in February. His name had been Mulder, and even though he was just a fish, Lucy had shed a couple tears when she flushed his corpse down the toilet.

Lupul was strange. She’d never really liked him, even told Jacob that he was an asshole when the two men had started hanging out. Lupul had become a fixture, though, and if she wanted to spend time with her favorite cousin, then she had to accept that Joffrey Lupul was going to be around, too. That didn’t mean she had to talk to him, though. So, she just kept to herself when he was around with his bimbo du jour. It was always a woman with long hair, blonde or brunette, with big boobs and a penchant for saying really annoying things at really annoying times.

He’d surprised her when he’d sat with her outside the bar the night she broke up with Dennis. Lupul was the last person she’d expect to do something like that, especially while his girlfriend was flirting with every single person in the place.

Shortly after that, he’d showed her his fantastic taste in music, and she started feeling weird about her thoughts of him. Friendly thoughts at first, and then odd thoughts that involved imagining him in her bed while they had sex to Portishead. She’d always thought that would be amazing music to get it on to.

But that was never going to happen. She wasn’t his type, and she had more self respect than to let such a player use her and cut her loose. That didn’t mean she couldn’t use him for his house and his concert connections, though.

Her plane landed at LAX a week after he’d insisted she come spend some time in Newport Beach. She smoothed her hair down as she walked through the terminal, pushing along with the crowd to get to the baggage claim area. It took her longer than she expected to find her suitcase, and she hoped that Lupul hadn’t lost interest and gone back home. He lived over thirty miles away, and she didn’t want to pay cab fare to get there.

When she exited the passenger area and entered into the visitor’s section of the airport, she saw groups of people happily reunited with friends and family, husbands and wives. It was touching, but she was nervous about finding Lupul and hoping he wasn’t as good-looking as she remembered him to be. She didn't need to be trapped in a house with a guy she was supposed to hate when he looked that good.

She walked slowly toward the exit, scanning the faces of everyone. He couldn’t be that hard to find. He was over six feet tall and built.

Lucy saw the sign before she saw him. On a piece of white notebook paper the words, “Judgmental Bitch” were written in block letters with a black marker. She dragged her eyes up his chest and shoulders until she could see the wide grin on his handsome face.

She tried hard not to smile, but it was impossible. “Hey, fuck you, Lupul,” Lucy said as she walked up to drop her bags at his feet. She snatched the paper out of his hand and punched him on the shoulder hard enough to hurt her hand, but not hurt him. The man was solid muscle.

“I wanted to make sure I could find you,” he replied, picking up her suitcase and her carry-on bag.

“I can carry one,” she told him.

Lupul shook his head. “I’ve got it. Come on, I’m probably getting a parking ticket as we speak.”

She followed him out of the airport, across six busy lanes of traffic, over a low concrete barrier, and into a small short-term parking lot. She watched as he slipped the parking attendant some outrageous sum of money before walking up to a flashy black convertible. The top was down, and the interior was all cream and black.

“I can’t get in a car that expensive.”

He tucked her luggage into the tiny trunk. “It’s my summer rental.”

She slid into the passenger seat and buckled up while he got in and turned the engine over.

“So, how was your flight?” He asked, navigating out of the parking lot and merging into the heavy traffic leaving the airport.

Lucy looked over at his handsome profile. He was in a pair of shorts and a white T-shirt that was so thin she could practically see through it. A baseball cap was pulled over his head to shade his eyes. Fuck him for looking so perfect when she just wanted to dislike him. “Long. I’m so glad to be out of the plane.”

They made casual conversation during the drive to Newport Beach. He told her how his visit with his family had gone and what he loved about his little house on the beach. She told him about her flight and how much she was looking forward to relaxing for a week.

"Or two," he said, pulling into the small driveway of the house. The place was compact, not very wide, but three stories tall. More like a condo or a townhouse than a freestanding house. Perfect for a bachelor who only spent a couple months of the year in it.

"I can't spend my entire summer here," she said, giving the almost empty garage a once-over.

"Sure you can. You don't have to be back to Toronto until the school year starts, right?"

"I'm not freeloading in your house, Lupul. A week and then I'm going home."

He glanced at her, a soft smile on his face. "Just you wait. You'll love it here and never want to leave. That's how I always feel."

* * *

He was right; she loved it already. The guest room was spacious and outfitted with gorgeous furniture. She had no doubt he'd had someone decorate and furnish the entire house. The first floor was the garage and a laundry room. The second floor was the main living area with a dining room, kitchen, and a breakfast nook with bay windows that overlooked the ocean. The third floor was where the two bedrooms were. The master spanned the front of the house with a long balcony that provided a breathtaking view. Her room had windows that overlooked the street and a large bathroom right next door that he told her she didn't have to share since the master had its own.

After she'd settled in and unpacked her things, he directed her to the balcony and disappeared. When he came to join her, he was holding two beers. He handed one to her. "You're welcome to come out here anytime," he told her.

"I'm not traipsing through your bedroom, Lupul. That'd just be rude."

"You're not interrupting anything. I'll make sure I'm always decent."

"I thought you hockey players spent your summers getting laid. Isn't that why you broke up with Destiny?"

He tilted the beer bottle back to take a long drink before shifting his eyes over to her. "I broke up with her because she was a drama queen and not right for me."

"Okay. You conveniently didn't say anything about not spending your summer getting laid."

"Why are you so interested in my sex life? Jealous?"

Lucy felt her face flush. "Absolutely not. I just think it's gross to sleep with just anyone in a skirt with boobs."

"I'm turning over a new leaf. No more Destinys. No girls this summer."

Yeah right, Lucy thought. It'd be a cold day in hell when Joffrey Lupul would tell all the gorgeous women who were after him to back off because he was spending the summer celibate. "I'll believe it when I see it," she said.

"You'll see," he said sitting in the chair beside her. She took a drink and looked out over the red and orange sky as the sun sunk below the horizon. "I'm glad you decided to come out here," he added after a long minute of silence.

Lucy nodded, but didn't dare look at him. She was treading dangerous water. He could be sweet and charming when he wanted to be. "Thanks for inviting me. I was a little surprised you did. Actually, a lot surprised."

"I know we got off on the wrong foot, but I think we should be friends. If you don't still think I'm an asshole, that is."

She laughed softly. "No, I don't think you're an asshole."

"But you used to."

"Yes, I used to. And you thought I was a judgmental bitch."

Lupul glanced over and grinned at her before saying, "Who says I don't still do?"

Lucy couldn't help but laugh again. It was unfair that the one guy she'd written off as not her type and a total jerk was the funniest, wittiest guy she'd met in a very long time. "Touche, Lupul."

* * *

He’d left her to her own devices for the most part, which Lucy was thankful for. He spent most of his mornings working out. She knew he got up early--well before her--and went running on the beach. Afterward, he would eat breakfast and leave for the gym. He’d return shortly after lunch, eat, and take a nap. Occasionally, he would go back to the gym in the afternoons, but most of the time he would stick around the house or go out and meet friends.

He liked T-shirts, she learned. He had a habit of buying way too many of them. He couldn’t possibly wear all of the ones that came into the house in shopping bags. Some were from high-end boutiques and probably cost over fifty bucks. Some of them looked like he had paid fifty cents at a thrift shop.

She spent the time alone sitting on his balcony reading novels she’d toted along with her in the suitcase and walking on the beach. The weather was always gorgeous--sunny, clear skies, and in the mid-seventies. Each morning when she woke up and made herself a cup of tea or coffee, she was thankful she’d agreed to come spend a week of her summer here with him.

On the fifth day, she ran out of books to read. She put on a Junior Boys album she hadn’t had a chance to listen to completely and shoved her earbuds in before she went downstairs to find something to read. He had no books; just stacks of magazines in the living room by the couch. They were mostly hockey related and some were old. She scrunched her nose up in distaste. Halfway through the pile, a cover caught her eye. ESPN: The Body Issue. There was a naked, tattooed man carrying a football on the cover. He was cute, and Lucy was intrigued. Since when did Lupul have nudes of naked men?

Smiling to herself, she carried the magazine upstairs and settled down on his balcony to flip through it. The album playing in her earphones was just okay [until the fifth track came on](http://youtu.be/RNO1TMQkxpQ), and then it was amazing. The song reminded her of everything she liked about eighties music. The magazine was a portrait of the athletic body. Popular athletes had agreed to pose for tasteful nude photographs, showing off what the training did to their bodies. Lucy grimaced. She needed to get to the gym.

She flipped through the pictures, lingering on each for only a few seconds each. Until she turned a page and saw a familiar face. Lupul. Naked. He was standing in a foggy room with his stick resting across his shoulders. The photo cut off at his hips, but she could just imagine the rest. Lucy licked her lips and looked at the next picture. Lupul’s back was displayed prominently as he struck a pose like he was skating with full force across a rink. There was also one of a similar pose, but showing him from the front, his knee up and protecting his modesty.

Holy shit, Lucy thought. So that was how he got all those women to sleep with him. She’d never really been one for buff guys that worked out and had flawless bodies, but there was something incredibly sexy about his. She almost felt guilty as she stared at the picture.

And then reality came crashing down on her when one of her earbuds was pulled out of her ear. “Whatcha doin’, Lucy?”

She flipped the magazine closed and jumped out of her chair. Lupul. He’d snuck up behind her and pulled her earbud out. But did he see what she was looking at?

“Reading a magazine,” she replied, rolling the issue up so he couldn’t see the cover.

He was in a pair of athletic shorts and a shirt with the sleeves cut off it to show off his arms. A fine sheen of sweat glistened on his forehead. “What magazine are you reading?” His mouth curled into an evil smile.

Busted. He’d obviously seen what she’d been looking at. Lying would just make her look more guilty. “Your nudie one,” Lucy replied, tossing the magazine on the other chair.

“See anything interesting?”

“Yeah, I saw that I wish I had Sydney Leroux’s body. I also saw that I need to go to the gym.”

“See anyone you know?” He was trying to supress his grin, but wasn’t doing a very good job.

Lucy narrowed her eyes at him. “Maybe. There was this hockey player in there that was okay-looking.”

“Just okay?”

“Are you fishing for compliments, Lupul? Because I doubt you need to do that. You know you’re hot.”

He picked up the magazine and flipped through it, all the while advancing on her. The only exit was through him, and right now all she could think about was what he looked like with his shirt off. And with his pants off.

“I liked the blue picture with all the fog the best,” he said when he got to his spread.

Lucy swallowed and glanced at the page as he held it out. “The one of your back is better.” She needed a drink ASAP. Her mouth was dry. Junior Boys were still singing in one ear so she ripped the other earbud out.

“Really?” Lupul scrunched his face up as if he didn’t agree with her.

“Backs are sexy.”

“Is that right?”

She shrugged. “Maybe I have a thing for backs. You have a nice one.” That said, she side-stepped and hurried back inside. Anything to get away from Joffrey Lupul and his body. She’d rue the day she found that magazine. She definitely didn’t need to know what he looked like naked.

* * *

The National concert was only a day away, and Lucy was two days from leaving to return to Toronto. While he’d enjoyed quiet evenings with her, they really hadn’t done much together. He woke up the morning after finding her sneaking a peek at his Body Issue spread and decided he was going to talk her into spending the day with him.

He knew she liked tea because he found the cups sitting in the kitchen before she cleaned up after herself in the afternoons. So, he made her a cup and carefully cracked open her door. “Lucy? Are you awake?”

“I am now.” She sounded groggy and out-of-sorts.

“Get decent, I’m coming in.”

“Hold on, let me me hide my vibrator.” Her voice was dry and sarcastic and it made him smile.

She was sitting up in bed wearing an oversized band T-shirt. Her hair was sticking up on one side and flat on the other, and her glasses were off, sitting on the edge of the nightstand. She squinted her eyes at him as he walked in and sat on the bed.

“What’s this?”

“Tea,” Joff said, handing it to her.

“Why do I get tea in bed?”

“Because we’re going to spend the day together. You finished all your books, and you saw me naked, so you’ve done all you can do in this house.”

Lucy sipped the tea, watching him over the edge of the cup with her dark eyes. She was fresh-faced and leery of him. She was also beautiful. The way she was looking at him made his heart pound a little harder in his chest. “What’s on the agenda?”

“Jog on the beach.”

“You totally mean walk on the beach, right?”

Joff grinned. “Walk on the beach,” he corrected. “Breakfast at one of my favorite places. Sight-seeing. Maybe hit a couple record stores after lunch. Dinner at The Cannery. And we’ve got to listen to The National tonight since we’ll be seeing them tomorrow.”

Lucy looked at him and then busted out into laughter.

“What?” he asked.

“Nothing. Get out of here so I can get dressed. I’ll walk briskly on the beach, but I’m not jogging.”

* * *

She was in a pair of denim shorts and a red tank top. She’d gone barefoot on the beach that morning, dipping her toes into the morning surf, but when they left to get breakfast, she’d put on a pair of white tennis shoes. He had a hard time not staring. She wasn’t even trying to get his attention, but she had it nonetheless. Her hair was held back in a loose braid. She looked right at home with her indie-girl glasses and intelligent eyes in the tiny cafe. [Local Natives were playing](http://youtu.be/mzw5QPSJDIM), and she had a latte with a design of a leaf in the foam on top.

Lucy was talking, but he wasn’t listening. He was just staring at her lips. The song was hypnotic, even if it was barely discernible beneath the chatter of the cafe.

“Earth to Lupul,” she said, waving her hand in front of his face.

“I’m sorry, what?”

“I asked you where we’re going after breakfast. You’re such a space cadet this morning.”

“This is a good song,” he admitted. It was a half truth. She was the other distraction. She was a better choice than a Destiny, a healthier choice, though. The lyrics were talking about taking off clothes. He shook his head to clear it of those thoughts.

“It is,” she agreed. “Are you trying to dodge my question, though? Where are we going?”

“Newport Pier, and then maybe the Orange County Museum of Art if you’re game.”

“Oh, I’m definitely game. Tell the waiter to hurry up and bring our food. I’m ready to be a tourist. I just need to find a big camera to hang around my neck.”

As soon as they finished up breakfast, they visited the Pier. It was buzzing with fishermen, trying to nab a big catch. They saw a few who had coolers filled with mackerels. After browsing through the nearby shops and adding a T-shirt to his overwhelming collection--and secretly buying Lucy one so she wouldn’t bitch at him for spending money on her--they settled down on the slats of the pier near the end, looking off to the north where the shore curved inward.

“It’s gorgeous here,” Lucy said, swinging her feet in the open air below them. The water seemed like it was a mile away.

“I love Toronto, but I miss this. It’s warm year-round. Such a strange feeling to walk out the door for a game in the middle of February and it’s in the sixties.”

“That is strange. Who knew a Edmonton boy would fall in love with southern Cali? How did this place get in your blood?”

Joff shook his head. “I have no idea. It just feels like one of those places I can call home.”

He glanced over at her. She was still looking out across the water, showing him only her profile. Joff wanted to put his arm around her, but he knew she’d shrug him off. They weren’t there; they weren’t that kind of friends. Maybe someday.

“I grew up in Winnipeg,” she said softly. “Never really liked it much. I felt trapped. When I graduated, I decided to go to university in Toronto to get out. I loved Toronto, but right after I graduated my mom got sick. I went home to help her out. She didn't really have anyone since she and my dad divorced when I was a kid.”

“I’m sorry,” he said when she paused.

Lucy’s eyes were far away, still looking out over the water. “I thought maybe I had just not appreciated Winnipeg when I was younger. Maybe I’d like it there when I moved back. But I didn’t. I hated it. I got a job as a teacher’s aid at a Catholic school and took care of my mom.”

“How is she?”

She shook her head. “She died eight months after her diagnosis. Cancer blows. So, I took over her house and stayed on at the school, but I was miserable.” Joff looked down at her hand resting on the pier, her fingers curled around the end of the wood right beside her leg. He almost slipped his hand over it to slide his fingers between hers and give her comfort. She sounded so far away. He didn’t reach out because this was Lucy, and she’d give him a dirty look if she thought he was getting fresh with her.

“And then one day one of the nuns at the school pulled me aside. She told me all about how she’d come back to Winnipeg five years ago to take care of her mother who was ill. She said she’d been living in Montana, but hurried home when the doctors said her mother had months to live. Fast forward five years and her mom was still alive and kicking.” Lucy looked over at Joff. “And she looked just as miserable as me. I felt for her. She told me that some places just call to our souls and there is nothing we can do to change that. She said that if Winnipeg wasn’t calling to my soul, then... I shouldn’t feel obligated to stay.”

“What did you do?” he asked, eyes wide, surprised that she’d opened up to him.

Lucy looked away again. “Put my mom’s house on the market the next day. I sold it two months later and gave notice to the school that I’d be leaving. I took the money from the sale of the house, moved back to Toronto, and bought the place I have now.”

“Are you happy?”

She nodded. “Toronto is one of those places that fits with my soul. I’ll always have a spot for Winnipeg in my heart, but... I can’t live there.” Lucy shrugged and shook her head, smiling over at him. “So, I guess I get why you like this place. I hope you’re not miserable in Toronto, though.”

“No, I think Toronto and Newport Beach both agree with me. Cincinnati and Philly not so much. I guess it was easy to ignore that when I was busy playing hockey, but I was never all that happy outside the work.” He tilted his head to get a better look at her face. “Does Newport Beach call to you or is it just Toronto?”

Lucy darted a glance over at him before looking away again. “I could live here,” she replied. “It’s so different, but I feel... free. Does that make sense?”

“Definitely.” His desire to have some kind of physical contact with her was overwhelming. She was less than a foot away from him. It’d be so easy to throw his arm around her shoulders or lace his fingers with hers on the wooden pier. He’d started to have weird ideas about the future and Lucy. Winters in Toronto playing hockey, listening to music on Saturday afternoons on her couch. Summers in Newport Beach with her trailing behind him, barefoot on the beach, collecting seashells. She liked both cities. It wasn’t out of the question.

There wasn’t a nightstand on the other side of the bed at his place in Toronto. There hadn’t been room for one. He’d have to make room because she’d need a place to put her glasses at night. The thought turned his stomach over. What was he thinking? It took effort to actually get her to agree to be friends. What made him think there was ever going to be anything romantic? Besides, she wasn’t even his type.

* * *

They ate lunch in the cafe of the art museum and followed it up with making the rounds of record stores. There weren't many left. When Joff first really started collecting music, there were so many little places in each bigger city that boasted old records or used CDs. Now they were few and far between considering the number of people who download songs. He liked to download music as well, but there was just something exciting about looking through the artwork of albums in a record store--like you were searching for the next big thing, the next album that would steal your heart or change your mind.

Even though they didn't buy anything after visiting three different places, he still had fun talking about music with her. It was easy and pleasant and, at times, exhilarating to introduce her to a band he knew she would love. He couldn't wait to get her home and play every song for her. He wanted her opinion on everything in his collection she hadn't already heard.

As they left the last store, Lucy said, "So, this Cannery place. Casual dining?"

"Fancy pants dining," he replied.

Lucy's eyes widened as she pulled open the passenger door of his car. "Woah, woah, woah. I have no fancy pants clothes with me. I thought it was a week of beach bumming."

"Just wear a sundress or something," he told her as they got into the car.

Lucy was pulling up the restaurant on her phone. He merged into traffic, glancing over at her as she tapped her phone screen. "I am NOT wearing a sundress to this place. It's dressy. Drop me off at a mall and pick me up in two hours."

Joff laughed. "No way. I'll just go with you." All he could think about was her in a dressing room. He felt like a creep. Lucy was his friend. His friend and not his type.

"You will not. I've seen guys waiting outside dressing rooms. They look like they want to hang themselves."

"We're on vacation. I'll survive. There's a couple places I know that you might like."

He made a right and then turned the car around in a parking lot so he could reverse direction. The shop wasn't far, and he trailed after her as she walked in. She was all business, flipping through the clothing racks along the walls.

"Can I help you?" the girl in the shop asked.

"No. Just looking. Thanks." Lucy snapped the words off as an afterthought and continued flipping through the dresses.

The girl, who couldn't have been more than nineteen, opened her mouth to insist on offering help, but Lucy was having none of it. Instead the girl looked at Joff, her eyes widening. He had that effect on women sometimes. It could be fun. He glanced at Lucy then back to the girl and shrugged as if to say, Don't look at me; she's the boss.

The girl wandered off to resume her post at the sales desk along the opposite wall.

"I feel stressed that you're here," Lucy said, never taking her eyes off the clothes.

Joff chuckled and stepped closer to glance over her shoulder. "Why?"

She stopped to look him in the eye. "I hate shopping with people. I feel pressure to hurry up and find something. You're, like, waiting for me and shit. I hate it." She looked annoyed and stressed out.

Joff smiled and put his hands on her shoulders to turn her toward a rack of satin dresses behind her. "Relax, Lucy. I don't have anything else to do."

"I don't even make my boyfriends go shopping with me. I feel like this is unfair to you."

"I'd have dropped you off at a mall if I minded. Just ignore me. Do your thing." He paused, then said with a grin, "Do you want me to go sit in the corner?"

She laughed. "What? Like a dunce? No. But you can tell me if orange looks like shit with my skin tone." She held up a orange dress with ruffles along the neckline.

Joff made a face. It was a hideous dress.

"Okay, no orange," she agreed, putting the dress back.

After a few more minutes of following her around the store, but making sure to stay several paces away so she didn't snap at him, he saw that she'd picked out a few dresses to try on. The dressing rooms were in an alcove in the back of the shop, each stall covered by a dark blue curtain.

He settled down on a settee across from the rooms and waited, his arms thrown out casually across the back of the small sofa. After she'd been in there a couple minutes, he called out, "Hey, do I get to give my opinion on the dresses?"

"No, Lupul."

"Come on, Lucy. I'm knowledgeable about fashion and shit." He tried to repress the grin on his face. Poking her was too much fun. It was like irritating a wild animal through the bars of a cage. She wouldn't tear him apart, but she would growl and snarl.

"Fuck you. Are you aware of how much I hate this?"

"So aware. Which is why I'm having a fantastic time. Now, get your ass out here and let me see the first dress. I know you have it on already."

"How do you know?" She was silent a moment before adding in a nearly panicked voice, "Are you peeking in here? I'll punch you in the balls if you are."

Joff bent over and laughed. "I'm not peeking. But it doesn't take that long to try on a dress. Come on. Let me see. Real quick."

She stuck her head out of the curtain. "I don't like this one. It's not me." And then she stepped out to reveal the dress. It was dark pink satin with a ruffle around the middle.

"Eww," he agreed. "Next."

"Good." She ducked back behind the curtain. "Don't you lie to me if it looks like hell."

"Promise," he said, smiling and shifting on the settee. This was fun. He had an excuse to look at her body, and she was completely off her game. It was refreshing.

The next dress was too long. The third dress was too short, although he thought it looked great since it showed off her legs. But, like Lucy had pointed out before she revealed it to him, it was a dress Destiny would wear. Part of the reason he liked Lucy was because she was everything those other girls weren't.

"What about this one?" She pushed the curtain back and revealed a dark red dress with a tight wide hem that hugged her thighs just a few inches above her knees. The rest of the cotton dress was loose and shapeless, just hinting at her figure, the shape of her ass and the dip of her waist. The collar draped loosely around her chest, letting him glimpse cleavage.

"Uh," he managed to say, running his eyes down her to take a look at her legs.

"I know it's not super dressy, but..." Lucy disappeared and came back with a box. She pulled out a pair of red sandals with four-inch heels. "I think it would work with these," she finished as she slipped on the shoes.

Her leg muscles flexed as she stood up and threw her arms out.

"Decent?" she asked.

"More than," Joff replied. "You look amazing."

"Are you bullshitting me?" she asked.

"No, I think you should go with that one. I'll pay for it."

She scowled at him. "Absolutely not. I'm paying for my own dress."

"Lucy, please. It's no big thing."

"Lupul, don't start with me. My threat to punch you in the balls still stands."

She disappeared back into the dressing room. She was high strung and aggressive when she was out of her element. Instead of arguing with her, he stood up and walked over to the counter. The girl's name tag said she was Tara.

"Hi, Tara," he said, leaning across the counter and smiling.

Her eyes were huge. "Hi," she squeaked.

"So, my friend found this great dress, and I want to pay for it."

"Oh, oh, um, okay. Which one is it? I can ring it up now."

"No, I have a better idea." He pulled out his credit card and handed it to her. "How about you take my card and hide it back there for a minute. When she comes out, you let her give you her card, but you use mine to pay. Just let her believe she paid. Okay?"

"Umm, sure. Okay. I can do that."

He flashed her a big smile. "Thanks, Tara."

Her cheeks reddened. "Oh, you're, like, totally welcome."

Joff mentally patted himself on the back. Women. Either he had a gift or they were easy to manipulate. Say their names and smile and they’d do pretty much anything.

He wandered back to the dressing rooms and waited for Lucy, his hands shoved in the pockets of his shorts, wishing he could take a quick peek behind the curtain. A couple minutes passed before she came back out in her shorts and tank top. The tennis shoes were back on her feet and the red dress was thrown over her arm, underneath the shoe box with the heels.

“You should probably get matching underwear,” he said, trying to keep a straight face.

Lucy’s gaze shot daggers at him. “Fuck you, Lupul. It’s granny panties under this dress if I’m wearing the uncomfortable shoes.”

He laughed and followed her to the counter. Lucy was distracted and out-of-sorts enough to not even notice that Tara had swiped his card instead of hers to pay for the purchase. While she was putting the dress and shoes in a bag for Lucy, he reached over and snatched his card from beside the register, hiding it with a sale flyer. After giving it a once over, he put the flyer back down and slipped his card in his pocket. Lucy was none the wiser as she picked up her bag and thanked the clerk. As they were walking out, Joff turned around and gave Tara a thumbs up before following Lucy out the door.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, what was Lucy's favorite picture?
> 
>  
> 
>  
> 
> If you Google "Joffrey Lupul body issue", then you can find a few other very lovely pictures of Lupul without clothes. ;-)


	3. Chapter 3

He was in a suit. He had two suits that he kept at his house in Newport Beach. This wasn’t really the place he dressed up in because summers were for shorts and T-shirts and baseball caps, but he had kept the suits just in case. This was one of those moments he was glad of it.

He kept pacing the living room. What would she look like? Deep down, a part of him was afraid she’d come out prancing around like Destiny and he’d lose all hope of finding a real woman who wouldn’t play mind games with him. When she finally came down the steps with her shoes in her hand, he almost laughed in relief. He should have never been worried. Lucy looked like herself, just more polished.

Her hair was up with a few tendrils down and tucked neatly behind her ears. Her makeup was light, but her lips were tinted a coral red. The dress looked perfect on her, showing just enough of her legs to make him want to pull the hem up some more. The loose fit of the dress above the tight hem just hinted at her figure. He knew she had a great body underneath, but she wasn’t really one to show it off. In fact, it took him a while to figure it out since she seemed to dress down to avoid standing out. He didn’t really understand that since every woman he’d dated had gone out of her way to get attention through her clothing.

“I can’t walk down stairs in these heels,” she said, adjusting her glasses and looking up at him for the first time. He almost smiled when he saw her jaw drop just a little bit. “Nice suit,” she said after three long seconds of silence.

“Thanks, I thought I looked pretty dapper.”

“Yeah, you do. You clean up nice, Lupul.”

“We have to wear suits on game days,” he explained.

“Really? Just so you can take them off again to get into your hockey... stuff?”

He shrugged. “It’s a business. Got to look professional.” Joff extended his hand to her. “Ready for some great seafood?”

She looked at his hand and then back up to his face. “Ready,” she replied, slipping the heels on and walking past him, ignoring his outstretched arm. He watched her open the door to the garage. Oh, he thought, so it’s like that. No pretending this is anywhere near a date.

It only took a few minutes to get to The Cannery. He left the keys with the valet and dropped his name at the door. He’d called that morning for reservations in the hopes that Lucy would agree to dinner. Their table was outside on the patio overlooking the water. It was small, forcing them to sit close together with knees almost touching beneath the table.

“Wow, beautiful view,” Lucy said, looking out across the view. It was just a finger of water they were sitting on, the equivalent of a wide, man-made river that came off the bay to help with fishing and boat traffic. But it was gorgeous, especially at night with the soft lights of The Cannery lighting it up. He’d gone here for drinks before with his friends, but he’d never actually had a formal dinner at the place.

Joff nodded. “Yeah. It’s always beautiful here. Warm weather and so much water. I hope you’re having a good time this week.”

She tugged at a tendril of hair that had curled around her ear. “I’m having a great time. Thank you for inviting me.”

“See, was the thank you so hard?”

Chuckling, Lucy said, “It’s getting easier. The less of an asshole you become, the easier it is for me to be nice to you.”

“You’re such a charmer, Lucy. I’m surprised you don’t have friends all over the place with that kind of attitude.”

“I know. I’m a people person.”

He laughed at her straight-faced comment. After a moment, she succumbed as well, amused at how ridiculous both of them had been for disliking each other for over two years before they realized how much they had in common.

The waiter took their order and left them to sip on cocktails and try not to look at each other as they sat awkwardly at the table. Finally, Lucy cleared her throat and leveled her gaze on him. Joff shifted in his chair. Her eyes had depth, and that was scary. Jacob had said she would eat him alive, and he was beginning to think there might be some truth to that. “So, let’s talk about these naked pictures you did.”

Her suggestion threw him off. He’d been prepared for anything, but not that. Finding her looking at the magazine yesterday had been amusing, but he hadn’t thought much of it. Nudity just came with the territory when you were a hockey player. Locker rooms were filled with people. He was comfortable with his body and didn’t mind having his clothes off. The offer to feature him in the Body Issue was easy to accept because it was something he’d probably never get the chance to do again. He assumed Lucy appreciated the pictures for what they were, but didn’t assume she was pining after him since she’d seen them. She wasn’t that kind of girl.

“What about them?” Joff asked, meeting her gaze.

“Why did you do it?”

“Because they asked and it sounded interesting--something I’ll probably never get to do again.”

“Exhibitionist?”

He laughed softly. “Not really. I’m used to changing in a locker room full of guys. I’m not modest, but I don’t go around flashing my dick. You think they’re okay?”

Lucy’s eyebrows went up. “They’re great. You looked great. But I think you know that.”

“I was just fishing for a compliment from you.”

“Do you like playing hockey?”

He didn’t even have to think about his answer. “I love playing hockey.”

“What’s your favorite thing about it?”

That he had to stop and think about. What was his favorite thing about it? “That’s a hard question,” he told her.

Lucy shrugged and put her red lips around the straw of her drink.

He averted his eyes because he couldn’t think and watch her do that at the same time. What was his favorite thing about playing hockey? “The rush, the moment everything comes together and time feels like it slows down so you can make the perfect play. And scoring. I love scoring.”

“Do you think I’m crazy for not loving hockey?”

Joff smiled. “Yes. Does it bother me that you don’t watch it? No.”

“Why?”

She was full of questions tonight. “Because it’s nice to have a friend who doesn’t care about that part of my life. Helps to balance me out,” he said.

Lucy put her drink down and sat back in her chair. “Jacob says you’re the best player on the team.”

He smiled and shook his head. “That’s just a matter of opinion. He’s my friend so he has to say that.”

“I bet you’re pretty good,” she told him, giving him that penetrating look that made him nervous and excited at the same time.

“What makes you say that?”

“I’ve seen the way you throw cash around at bars and clubs, so you probably make a ton of money. Almost every time you go somewhere you get recognized by at least one person, so you must be pretty popular. Women practically throw themselves at your feet, so you must be one of the better players because success can be like an aphrodisiac. Plus, you’re you. I can’t see you being subpar at anything.”

“Wow, Lucy. Let me hold onto the table so I don’t fall out of my chair after all those compliments.”

She smiled. “They weren’t compliments, just observations. You look good naked, too. That’s a compliment.”

He almost did fall out of his chair at that comment. Instead, he averted his eyes and laughed. Since when did he get embarrassed when a girl said he had a nice body? Lucy was laughing with him, her hand held delicately up in front of her mouth.

His stomach was in knots, and he wasn’t sure why. Things were going better than he could hope for, but he was still on edge with her, worried she’d shut him down. And he didn’t want to be shut down because the flirting and the fledgling friendship were delicious. He’d never done it this way before, and it felt good.

They sobered up as the food arrived. He ate too fast because he felt anxious. She was concentrating so hard on her filet that it was almost funny.

“Oh, I forgot to tell you that you’re a dick,” she said halfway through dinner.

His head shot up to look at her. “What? Why?”

“You paid for my dress and shoes.”

Shit. He tried to keep a straight face. “No, I didn’t. You gave the girl your card.”

“But she used yours. I saw you try to be sneaky and slip it off the counter when I wasn’t looking.”

“Oops,” he replied, giving her his best you-got-me look.

“I’m torn. I don’t know if that was an asshole move or if you were just being super nice.” She went back to eating, pushing the steamed vegetables around on her plate.

Joff said, “I was being super nice, obviously.”

“Yeah, maybe,” Lucy replied, giving him another penetrating look.

* * *

They lingered at their table for longer than was necessary. They each had another drink, but drank them slowly as they talked about their jobs and then, inevitably, music It was almost ten o'clock when they pulled into his garage and trudged up the stairs.

Without really thinking about it, he started peeling off his suit when he stepped onto the main floor of the house. He always made a mess when he got home from games. The jacket came off in the kitchen and got thrown on the pristine counter. His tie was loosened by the time he stepped into the living room. He pulled it off and tossed it on the arm of the couch. When he turned around to find Lucy, she was standing a few feet behind him.

"What?" he asked. She was looking at him strangely.

She lifted her brows. "I thought you were stripping. You've lost two pieces of clothing before you even made it to the bedroom stairs."

Joff was feeling playful, and she was watching him with those eyes. Slowly, he reached up and undid the top two buttons of his dress shirt. "Well, if that's what you were expecting, I guess I'll go ahead and finish stripping."

Lucy's face flushed in the dim light of the living room lamp. "This isn't a photo shoot or a locker room, buddy. Keep your shirt on."

"This is my house. An even better place to take my shirt off," he replied. Two more buttons were undone.

She pushed past him and started up the stairs. "Exhibitionist. I knew it. No wonder you had nude pictures taken."

He smiled and followed her up the stairs to the third floor. "I just like to watch you squirm because you think I'm hot."

"Don't get a big head, Lupul. And I'm not squirming. I'm avoiding." She disappeared into the guest room.

Joff pulled off the rest of his clothes and tossed them on his bed. He knew she wouldn't come out right away, but he left his door open anyway. So what if she saw him naked for real. Plus, he still wanted to listen to some music with her before they went to bed. He pulled on a pair of shorts and T-shirt before putting on his favorite album by The National. They had to listen to it tonight since the concert was tomorrow. Barefoot, he walked out onto the balcony and dropped into one of the chairs. The warm breeze felt good on his face, and he was pleased with how the day had gone.

"What's this I hear?" Lucy shuffled out onto the balcony and sat down beside him. She was back in her shorts and tank top, and she casually propped her bare feet up on the railing. Joff ran his eyes up her extended legs, wondering how smooth they were.

"Boxer," he finally answered.

"The best National album," Lucy replied.

"Damn right."

"Although," she added, "I think [Buzzblood Ohio is the best song](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h0snX5iNx5E)."

He looked over at her. "I never could figure out what that one was about."

She was looking out over the water toward the dark horizon. "It’s poetry. Whatever you need it to be about. I always felt like it was about longing. Longing for a place or a person. Not really bad or good, but just there and strong and tumultuous. Saudade at it’s most potent."

“Saudade?”

She looked over to hold his gaze. “It means longing. An unnamed yearning of the soul. I think Nick Cave said it was ‘the desire to be transported from darkness into light, to be touched by the hand of that which is not of this world.’”

Joff didn’t know what to say. Her answer threw him off because it was thoughtful and smart and perfect. Saudade. Love. Longing.

When he didn’t respond, she continued. “It goes right along with duende. That’s having soul. Having a heightened state of emotion and authenticity. I think it’s rooted in flamenco music and is supposed to be the physical or emotional response to music.”

“I don’t know what to say,” he admitted. “I feel like you just schooled me. I’ve never heard those two words.”

She looked away. “I devour articles, essays, and lectures of music. It’s my way of listening without actually listening. Because you can’t listen to music all the time, right?”

He sat there silently beside her as the second track finished and the third started. "Lucy?"

She looked over with a small smile on her face. "What, Lupul?"

"I'm glad we started talking."

"What? Are we in grade three? Thanks for being my friend?"

He laughed. "Hey, don't be a bitch. I'm trying to have a moment here."

"Sorry," she said, wiping the look from her face and trying to be serious. "I'm glad we're friends, too. Mostly because you have this amazing house, and I'm totally coming here next summer. As long as you promise not to bang gross chicks in your bedroom."

He swallowed. He wouldn't be banging any chicks but her if she spent another summer here. "I promise I won't bang any chicks but you if you come visit again."

Lucy choked and then reached over to punch his shoulder. "Gross! Don't even joke about friends with benefits, Lupul. I already told you I'd punch you in the balls."

They both chuckled at her joke, but he was trying not to take what she said to heart because he wasn’t really kidding. He wanted to take her to bed and let her whisper all that shit about longing and physical responses to music and authenticity in his ear while he gently took her glasses off, pulled her panties down, and buried himself so far inside her he wouldn’t even know where he ended and she began.

Silence descended again, and they listened to most of the fourth song without talking. He alternated between staring out over the dark ocean and staring at her little toes curled against the railing of the balcony. When he didn’t think she’d notice, he’d let his gaze drift up her legs. But he stopped at the knee because, while turning his head would give him a view of her thighs, it would also tip her off that he looking his fill.

“This is my favorite,” he told her when the fifth track started.

She looked over at him, her lips parted in surprise. “Really? [Slow Show is your favorite](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rCR0Tr2HTfA)?”

Joff nodded. “Why do you look so shocked?”

Her gaze turned back out over the water. “I don’t know. It just doesn’t seem like your kind of song.”

“Why? Because it’s about a guy who likes a girl so much he’s afraid he’ll make a fool of himself? Because all he wants to do is come home to her and hang out, make her laugh, get her approval?”

Lucy stood up and walked to the far end of the balcony. Her arms were crossed over her chest like she was hugging herself. Had he hit a nerve? Or was she just tired of sitting? The atmosphere seemed charged, electric. Any wrong move would set one of them off, and he didn’t want to be the only one who was burning.

He felt like his heart was beating with the music. What was this? Duende, she’d said. Physical response to music. Or maybe his physical response was to her. Her and those fucking eyes and the way she looked at him like she could make him the happiest man alive and tear him apart all the the same time. This was why he dated women like Destiny. Because this shit was too scary.

* * *

She couldn’t sit beside him anymore. He was over there listening to one of her favorite albums, throwing out jokes about sleeping with her one minute and then dissecting this yearning, tender song the next. He was right; it was about a man who was so desperate to express to a girl his simple desire to make her happy that he felt like he was going to scare her off. It wasn’t a song he should like because it wasn’t him. He was the party boy, the user, the guy who flipped through so many blonde women with double D tits that Lucy could never remember all their names. He didn’t yearn; he took what he wanted.

Despite that, it sounded like he knew the feeling. That tone in his voice plucked at her heart. So, she got up and walked away, stood by the railing and looked out over the dark water, unable to make much out besides the reflection of the moon on the waves. The [song was making her throat close up](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rCR0Tr2HTfA), denying air to her lungs. You know I dreamed about you for twenty-nine years before I saw you. Matt Berninger, the singer, just kept repeating the phrase against the backdrop of drums that felt like they were changing the beat of her heart to coincide.

Lucy hadn’t heard him get up, but she felt him behind her, probably not more than a couple feet away. His body had its own gravitational pull when it came to women. She’d thought she was immune, but not on a night like this after they’d spent the day together, a day in which all his best qualities were laid out for her like a buffet. Fuck him, she thought. He wasn’t playing fair. He was making her want him, and it was probably all some smooth ploy he used on her type. Flashing money and status didn’t work, but show a heart and a passion for something that she loved and she was gone.

“You didn’t answer me,” he said.

Lucy turned around and leaned against the railing. Had he asked a question? She didn’t remember. “What was the question?”

“Why doesn’t this seem like my kind of song?” His face was in shadows. She could make out his eyes, the tip of his nose, and the curve of his cheekbone, but not much else.

“Because you’re not that guy.”

He took another step, bringing him too close. His chest was just centimeters from hers. If she took a deep breath, she might brush against him. Lucy kept her eyes on the v-neck of his T-shirt. Looking up would be a disaster. She could feel him willing her to do it, to lift her head.

“Says who?” he asked softly.

“Says me.”

“You don’t know everything, Lucy. Stop pretending you do.”

This time she did look up. He was close enough that the light from the moon and nighttime sky was enough for her to see his expression. His tongue flicked out to wet his full lips.

“I know enough,” she said.

He tilted his head, and she knew what was coming. A kiss. She wanted to give in and let him take it, let him put one of his strong hands on the back of her head and take her mouth with his. It would give her an excuse to put her hands on his body. It wasn’t supposed to go like this, though. She hadn’t even wanted to say two words to him less than six months ago. How did she get to this point? How did she fall into his trap?

“Don’t,” Lucy whispered, turning her head to the right to stare at the wall. The next song had come on and broken the mood.

He extended his arms and wrapped his fingers around the railing on either side of her. Caught. “Why?” he asked.

She needed to get away from him. Gently, she laid a hand on one of his arms. They both almost jerked back at the innocent contact. “Because you’ll end up breaking my heart, and I’m not really in a position of being able to handle that at the moment.” Lucy pushed at his arm, but he didn’t budge. “Please let me go,” she whispered, looking down at the ground.

“Lucy, I....”

“Save it for someone who will believe the lines. Please move your arm. I want to go to bed.”

He released her reluctantly. Pushing all doubt to the back of her mind, she sidestepped him and very nearly ran off the balcony and through his dark bedroom. Once she was safely behind the closed door of the guest room, Lucy let herself collapse onto the beige carpet and blink back a tear or two. Joffrey Lupul was bad news all over, and they couldn’t be more than friends. Girlfriends had a short shelf life with someone like him. Hers would probably be the shortest because she’d never seen him let a girl like her stick around long enough to meet his friends. Unless he hadn’t ever dated someone like her. Which was a ridiculous thought because he was too damn good at seducing her. That had to have taken practice.

* * *

When Lucy woke up, the previous night felt like a strange dream that hadn’t really happened at all. Except, it had, and now she had to face another whole day with Lupul. The National show was at eight o’clock. Her flight back to Toronto was the next afternoon. She didn’t want to deal with the ramifications of what had or hadn’t happened in the dark on his balcony last night.

She peeked out into the hall and saw that his bedroom door was shut for the first time since she’d arrived. Thankful, Lucy slipped into the bathroom to get ready for the day. By the time she was back in the bedroom, she heard movement across the hall. She reached for her phone and texted him, feeling absolutely ridiculous the entire time.

_LUCY: So, I think we should conveniently develop amnesia about last night_

He didn’t answer for fifteen minutes, and she didn’t know if it was because he was letting her hang out while he formulated a response or because he just hadn’t seen the text. Finally, her phone dinged.

_JOFF: Yeah, that’s cool. Forgotten_

She’d gotten what she wanted, but it didn’t feel right. His response was so cold, not like the friendly guy she’d spent the week with. It was what she’d asked him for, though, so she couldn’t complain. Lucy bent over and pressed her forehead against the mattress. Maybe she had secretly hoped that he would have told her that he’d meant everything last night, that he needed her. Gross. She couldn’t date a hockey player. He’d just fuck up her neat little life.

_JOFF: I’ve got stuff to do today. See you back here before the show_

His second text felt like a stab in the chest, but Lucy tried to slow her breathing and talk sense into the side of her brain that wanted to fling the bedroom door open and tell him that they couldn’t really forget about last night. Ten minutes later the door downstairs slammed shut. The coast was clear, but she wasn’t happy about it.

Lucy spent the day over-thinking and driving herself crazy about the situation with Lupul. She was determined not to get hurt, but it felt like that point had already been passed. Hurt had already arrived, and they hadn't even kissed. She hadn't even had the pleasure of seeing him naked in person, and she felt like they'd just broken up. The most frustrating thing was that she wasn't sure when the line had been crossed. Was it when she invited him over for lunch? Was it the Esthero concert? Was it visiting him here? Was it yesterday and their talk on the pier or the dinner? Or was it the second when she opened her mouth and told him that she was breaking up with Dennis in that bar months ago?

If she let things get more personal, more intimate, with him then there was a very real possibility--more a likelihood--that she'd end up broken-hearted and then she'd have the pleasure of watching him breeze through other women since her best friend in Toronto was a good friend of his, too.

He came home just after six. She was standing in the kitchen making sure that everything she'd touched in there had been cleaned since she was leaving tomorrow. His shirt was soaked in sweat and his hair was plastered to his head, dripping with perspiration.

"Hey," he said, sliding his eyes over her and moving toward the stairs up to the bedroom.

It was anti-climatic. She was expecting him to come in and say something to her, anything. She'd asked if they could forget about last night, but she didn't mean to this extent. It was like he was forgetting about everything, every moment they'd spent together over the past few months.

She was already dressed for the concert--a pair of jeans and a black T-shirt. Simple and forgettable. The least sexy thing she could think of because she didn't want to ignite that sexual tension from last night again. She'd probably burn alive if she did.

A few minutes after seven, he came down the steps and looked at her for the first time. She was sitting on the arm of the couch, playing with her phone. "Hey," he said again.

"Hi," Lucy replied, trying to hold his gaze, but unable to withstand it. He was in a pair of jeans and a T-shirt, too. The white fabric of it was pulled taut over his shoulders and chest. She let her eyes skitter over his biceps and wondered if she'd have to change her panties before they left the house. He'd always been hot, but knowing that if she caved in, she could have a taste? That was a whole different ballgame.

"Ready to go?"

Lucy curled her fingers into the palms of her hands. "Look, I know I asked you to forget about last night, but I didn't mean that you should forget about everything."

He put his hands on his hips and looked at her like he wasn't sure if he wanted to push her onto the couch and walk out of the room or push her onto the couch and follow her down so he could rip her clothes off. It was intimidating. "I don't want to talk about it, Lucy."

"Lupul, I'm sorry."

"You can't ask me to just selectively wipe shit from my memory and make everything go back to what it was. That's not fair."

"I know," she whispered.

"So, it is what it is. Friends." He spat out the last word like he hated her.

The intensity of his emotion was surprising. She had thought he'd let last night roll off his back. Just another swing and miss for him. Granted, she was sure he didn't miss too often, but it had to happen sometimes. Why wasn't he moving along like she was just another girl that it wasn't going to work out with? Why the emotion? The saudade, her mind supplied. The longing.

"Okay," she replied softly. "Let's just go. The show starts at eight."

* * *

The show was in an amazing venue--an old church that had been converted. A stage had been built, and the pews were removed to provide plenty of standing room. The loft above where the organ and choir had been was now VIP seating, but like a true music fan, Lupul had tickets for the floor. Standing in the audience, being swayed back and forth with the crowd, was the only way to see a rock concert.

People parted easily for the intimidating guy with the arms and the chest and the strong legs. Lucy followed quietly behind, wondering what she'd done. Surely he didn't really like her like that? She had been so sure she was just another mark, albeit a slightly different one than usual.

The opening band was just one song into their set when they arrived. Lupul took up a place a few feet from the front of the stage and then looked back at Lucy. He motioned to the spot in front of him. His eyes were dark and dangerous, but he was still offering her the best view in the house because she knew he'd be behind her to keep anyone from bumping into her back.

Silently, she slid in front of him and crossed her arms over her chest. A few song later, the band finished and started packing up their equipment. A few minutes afterward the roadies came out to begin setting up for The National. Music was being piped through the room, and everyone was talking amongst themselves. She wanted to turn around and say something to him, but she didn't know what to say.

Finally, she looked over her shoulder and said, "I hope they play Buzzblood Ohio."

He just looked at her, long seconds ticking by, before he said, "Why, Lucy?"

She knew what he was asking, and it wasn't about the song. She wasn't sure how to answer his question. "Because you're a heartbreaker," she whispered, but not loud enough for him to hear.

Lupul leaned down closer, pressing his ear to her mouth. He wanted to hear what she had to say.

"Because you're a heartbreaker," she said again, her lips ghosting over the shell of his ear.

He shifted to press his lips against her ear. "Not anymore."

Lucy turned around and looked up at him. "Bullshit, Lupul."

"You don't know everything about me, Lucy."

"I know enough, and I'm not another notch on the bedpost. I'm better than that."

His eyes looked like they were burning. "You think I don't know that? Where the fuck have you been for the past few months?"

"Maybe you've got good intentions now, and maybe I'd last more than two months, but eventually... Eventually I'd be the one crying."

The lights dimmed and a cheer went up from the crowd as everyone pressed forward. Lucy turned away from him and looked at the stage, waiting for the band to come out. She could feel the gravity of his body behind her, pulling her into him.

* * *

The band was amazing. He just wished he could commit more of his mind to enjoying the music instead of thinking about the woman standing in front of him. He kept looking down at her, wondering what was going through her head. Was she zoned out and enjoying the show? Was she thinking about him? What was all this heartbreaker shit about? He’d treated her with complete respect.

Last night on the balcony had been a blur. He’d been drunk off emotions. The conversation had been heavy, and she had been almost irresistible in her little pair of shorts with her big words and soft voice telling him about longing and love and emotional connections. He wasn’t equipped to deal with that kind of assault. He could take dirty hits against the boards, and he could take a woman letting her skirt ride up to tempt him, but he couldn’t defend against the way she’d come at him.

When she’d hid in the guest room, he’d almost went after her and forced her to deal with what was happening. HE was having to deal with it. He couldn’t stop thinking about her. What would Lucy think of this album? What would Lucy say about that? What would Lucy think about this? Where was Lucy? What was she doing? Was she happy? Did she think about him? Did she imagine what it would be like to be naked in a bed together?

Half the concert was over, and all he could do was think about her.

The opening strains of a song caught his attention. It was her song--the one she’d hoped to hear--[Buzzblood Ohio](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h0snX5iNx5E). Joff looked down at her shoulders and saw that they were stiff and she was leaning forward just slightly. Physical reaction to the music. He had a physical reaction, too. Gently, he placed his hands on her hips, slipping his index fingers into the belt loops of her jeans. For a couple beats, she stilled and waited. He didn’t move; this was all he wanted for now. Just let me touch you, he thought.

Tentatively, her little hands lifted and covered his. He waited for her to push him away, but she didn’t. Instead, she laced her fingers with his. A surge of pure elation shot through his mind and body with relief riding on its coattails. A minute passed with his hands on her hips, and he was starting to feel brave. He gave a tug, carefully pulling her back to him. She resisted for just a moment, and then he felt her relax into him and take the half a step so her back was leaned into his chest.

This was all he had wanted. Sure, he’d love to take her home and slide her jeans down her legs, but this was enough. And this had never been enough before, not with any other woman.

The song was amazing, and the band was flawless. They transitioned into the next without a break. Lucy stayed where she was, resting her back against him. Two songs, then three songs like this.

And then he felt like he’d been punched in the gut because they started playing [Slow Show](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rCR0Tr2HTfA). The damn song that had started all this. It was from their older album; they should have been playing songs from the two newest ones. He wasn’t prepared and neither was Lucy. Joff felt her stiffen.

No, he thought. No, you don’t. Slowly, he let go of her hips and slipped his arms around her waist, pulling her back against him more completely. Instead of resisting, she laid her hands on his arms where they cut across her body just under her breasts. Lucy tilted her head back and rested it on his collarbone.

Joff closed his eyes and let the music wash over him. All that mattered was that she was there and the show was amazing and he had his arms around her.

* * *

When the band left the stage after their set, he reluctantly let go of Lucy. She stepped forward, putting space between them. An encore of three songs was played, and then the crowd dispersed into the temperate evening air of the beach town. She was walking beside him, and Joff really wanted to reach out and take her hand. He missed the connection, but he was afraid it would backfire on him. Neither of them had said a word since The National had taken the stage.

Maybe she was afraid to break the silence, too, because they drove back to his house without any conversation. It wasn’t uncomfortable, but he was burning to sort things out and determine if he could have her--if she’d sleep in his bed tonight.

He followed her up the stairs, staring at her ass the entire way. When she flipped the lamp on in the living room, she turned around and said, “Thank you for the concert. It was amazing.”

“Yeah,” he agreed. “Why don’t you stay another week?”

“Lupul, I really can’t.”

“You can. What’s back in Toronto? Jacob can water your plants. Stay through the end of August.”

She looked at him, the glare from the lamp hiding the nuances of her eyes. He couldn’t determine what she was thinking. “I have to go home.”

Joff wanted to beg, but he had more self respect than that. “I want you to stay here.”

“That’s a bad idea.”

“Says who?”

“Says me.” She turned away and moved toward the stairs.

“Lucy,” he said, “I’m not playing around.”

“Me neither. I’ve got to go to bed. I need to be at the airport by noon. Will you take me?”

He wanted to tell her he wouldn’t. He wouldn’t take her to the airport so she could leave him. Fuck that. “Yes,” he said anyway. “Goodnight, Lucy.”

* * *

Her name was Francesca, but no one was allowed to call her Fran or Frannie. She would sneer at them with her ruby lips and say, "My NAME is Fran-chess-KAH."

Joff was sitting at one of the trendy Newport Beach hotspots and Fran-chess-KAH was on his lap. Her dark brown, almost black, hair was tumbling over the arm that he'd used to brace her back, to keep her from falling off him. She was handsy, more friendly since she'd learned that he had money. Biz had let it slip to a friend of hers. Now any sexual attention she'd felt toward him was multiplied exponentially.

Her hair was almost the same color as Lucy's, but she wasn't Lucy. She was a fucking far cry from Lucy.

The airport had been awkward and terrible. He'd wanted to see Lucy inside, carry her bags to the baggage check counter, give her a hug goodbye, tell her that even though she'd shut him down that he would see her in a few weeks in Toronto. He planned on returning the second week of September. But she'd grabbed her luggage out of the trunk like the city was on fire and she needed to catch the last plane out. "Thanks for the invite, Lupul. And thanks for the concert. Stay out of trouble," she'd said as she wheeled her little suitcase across a lane of traffic. "Maybe I'll see you around," she'd added while he had stood there, dumbfounded.

And that was that. Because he wasn't chasing her. He'd never had to chase a woman before, and he wasn't about to start. Instead, he'd let her go and went back home to kill himself with training. For over a week he'd hit the gym hard and worn indentations in the sand of the beach by his house. When he wasn't pushing his body, he was sitting in his house and thinking about her. The balcony was tainted, ruined. It had her all over it, which meant it was no longer a place of peace. It pissed him off. She'd spouted out all that shit about him being some sort of master manipulator who was going to break her little heart. She probably hadn't realized that right now it felt like he was the one who'd been hurt.

Fuck her, he thought. She hadn't even called him. Maybe she'd see him around, she'd said. Maybe. Like she was just going to disappear, never to be seen again.

So, after a week of moping, he'd called a couple buddies and invited them to spend a couple weeks checking out the nightlife of Newport Beach. This was how he'd ended up with Francesca on this lap. Bissonnette had gone home with one of her friends a few days back and let it slip that Joff was loaded and a famous hockey player. The next time they met up at the club, Francesca, who had been lukewarm to Joff the previous time, was all over his dick. Whatever it took to get laid. He'd gone without for months. He blamed that on Lucy, too. She'd ruined everything.

Francesca wiggled in his lap and ran a hand through his hair. "You're so hot," she said. "I can't wait to see your house. I love the beach."

Biz and O’Brien were watching him. He hadn't really told them about Lucy. He'd just said the last relationship didn't work out, and he was looking to have a good time. They thought Francesca was probably a good time.

"Yeah," he agreed, only half-hearing her. "It's nice."

"Those places are expensive, huh?"

"Yeah."

Obviously his basic answers weren't enough for her because she leaned down and pressed her lips to his, snaking her tongue into his mouth. Joff’s hands tightened on her body as he kissed her back. The room was spinning a bit. He'd had too many drinks tonight. Beers and shots kept coming. One more shot and he'd be sloppy drunk.

When she released him, she whispered, "I couldn't resist," in his ear.

Joff leaned forward and picked up the shot glass in front of him. He needed more if he was going to do this tonight. With one quick movement, he knocked it back and kissed her again. She was practically straddling him by that point. He could just unzip his jeans and fuck her at the table. No need to even take her home.

"Oooh, I love this song," she squealed, shaking her shoulders and flipping her hair back. California Gurls by Katy Perry. What the hell? People liked this song? Lucy didn't like this fucking song. He knew that without even asking.

The room really was spinning now. His head felt fuzzy, and he knew he probably couldn't walk a straight line if he tried. "What's your favorite song, babe?" he asked the woman on his lap. She got up and maneuvered to stand between his knees. "Mmm, maybe Dirty by Christina Aguilera," she said leaning forward and bracing her hands on his shoulders so he could see down her skimpy top. "Because I'm a dirty girl."

His physical reaction was almost immediate, and despite his fuzzy head, he knew he was going to need a bathroom. Without thinking, Joff pushed her off him. Francesca fell onto the couch and landed halfway on O’Brien's girl for the night. He didn't stop to see if she was okay; he just stumbled off to the restrooms. No one was inside the men's room, allowing him to crash into the open door of the first stall.

He bent over the toilet and let go, emptying his stomach with huge heaves that started in his abdomen, but were so violent his back muscles got involved. After what seemed like an eternity, he leaned back and wiped his mouth off.

This wasn't what he wanted to be doing. He had nothing to say to Francesca who likes Katy Perry. He didn't want her in his house; he didn't want her on his balcony or in his bed. She was so fucking regular. He'd already dated her before, ten times over, even. It didn't matter that the other girls had different names; they were all the same. 

Why hadn't Lucy called to tell him that she got home? Bitch. Because she was a bitch.

He spit into the toilet and flushed everything away before fishing his phone out of his pocket and dialing her number. She probably wouldn't even answer. That was fine; he'd leave a message telling her what he thought of her.

"Lupul," she said softly right after the phone rang for the third time.

"Lucy," he replied, trying to focus on her voice.

"Why are you calling me at two in the morning?"

Shit. Time zones. "How was your flight home?"

"Fine. But that was almost three weeks ago. You never called me. Why are you asking now?" she said.

He clenched his free hand into a fist. "You didn't call me either."

She was silent for a moment, and then she said, "I know. I'm sorry. I had a lot on my mind."

"I've got a lot on mine, too," he said.

A man came in the bathroom and almost slammed the stall next to Joff closed. "Where you are at, Lupul?"

"A club."

"Oh." She sounded disappointed. She had no right.

"Bissonnette and O’Brien came out and we've been checking out the nightlife. Met some girls and stuff."

"I see." Lucy's voice was icy cold.

"Don’t you say a fucking thing, Lucy. You forfeited your right when you left."

"I know," she replied softly. "And you don't owe me anything, Lupul. Just don't drink until you're sick or get an STD."

"Too late on the drinking. I'm already sick. But I'm doing well on the STD thing. I'm practically a virgin now. It's been months."

Lucy laughed softly, but it didn't sound like she really thought he was funny. "That's bullshit. I can't see you going two weeks without it."

"No one since Destiny," he told her. It was important that she understood that for some reason. He felt like she had the wrong idea about him. "Just me and my hand."

"Really?"

"I swear on my life."

"Why?"

He leaned against the wall. The million dollar question. Why? "Because I wanted you." Simple answer. She didn't respond right away, so he continued. "There's a girl out in the club name Francesca. She's a model and an actress. She'd go home with me tonight if I asked her."

"Okay," Lucy said, voice tight.

"I'm not taking her home. She likes Katy Perry and Christina Aguilera. Actually, she makes me sick. I don't even want to touch her anymore."

"Okay."

Joff ran a hand roughly through his hair. His forehead and the back of his neck were covered in a cold sweat. "That's all your fucking fault. You know that, right?"

"Lupul, I didn't do anything to you."

"Yes, you did," he accused. "You know what you did. You changed things. Fuck you, Lucy."

"Sorry?" She sounded like she wasn’t sure if she should apologize for not.

"I'm coming back to Toronto in a couple weeks. Can we talk?"

“I don't think that's a good idea."

He tried to repress the anger that shot through his body. "Yeah, whatever. Maybe I'll see you around then." Before she could get the last word, he hung up on her.


	4. Chapter 4

Every single day she thought about calling him. Every single day since she’d left his house in Newport Beach. Every single day since he’d called her from the bathroom of the club, drunk off his ass. She wondered what happened that night after he hung up. Did he go back out there and take that girl--Francesca--home and screw her brains out on his bed? The thought made her want to vomit. She had no right to be upset with him, but the thought of him with another woman made her sick to her stomach.

“Fuck, Lucy, what did Loops do to you?”

She looked over at Jacob. They were both sprawled out on her sectional watching a movie on television. She’d been in a funk since she got back from California, and Jacob had come over to cheer her up on a Friday night.

“Nothing,” she told him, trying to focus on the movie.

Jacob snorted. “You’ve been weird since you got back. You two didn’t... you know?”

“No,” she snapped.

“Well, what happened? I talked to him a couple days ago, and he sounded fucked up, too. Said he was coming back a week early or something.”

“What?” That feeling that soured in her stomach was panic. Pure panic that she was going to run into him, and then she’d have to deal with all the feelings she was having.

“Training camp starts in two weeks. He’s coming back a week before. Why do you sound so stressed? You don’t want to see him?”

She shrugged and tried to school her expression. “I don’t care, Jacob. Whatever.”

“Are you two in fucking love or some crazy shit? Because he was schizo when I asked him about you and how your stay was.”

“What did he say?”

“Why don’t you tell me?”

Lucy clenched her teeth. “Forget it, Jay. It was a vacation. We went a couple places, had dinner, watched a concert. I read four novels and had a gazillion cups of coffee at this little place just off the beach. Fun times.”

“I thought you hated him.”

“I don’t hate him.”

“So you love him.”

“What? Fuck off, Jacob. I don’t know where you’re getting this.”

“Jesus Christ. You do. You two have a thing for each other. What happened? Did he fuck around?”

Lucy couldn’t breathe. This was not her idea of a fun Friday night. “I’m not going to find out because there’s nothing between us.”

“I’ll ask Loops about it when he gets back, then.”

She pushed herself upright and glared at her cousin. “Don’t you dare. Just leave it, Jay. Please just leave it.”

He looked at her for several long seconds. Finally, Jacob said, “Okay. I’ll leave it.”

* * *

Deanna, Jacob’s girlfriend, called her two days ago and demanded that she come to a bonfire on Cherry Beach. They were inviting a few friends to see off summer since September had arrived and cooler weather was just around the corner. School had started three days ago. It’d be nice to spend some time around adults after worrying herself for three days over remembering all the students’ names and finalizing lesson plans.

“Is Lupul going to be there?” she’d asked Deanna.

“I don’t think so. I think he’s still in Cali. Why?”

Lucy had twisted her hair around her finger. “Because Jacob said he was coming back a week early.”

“I haven’t heard anything or seen him. Why? You pissed at him?”

Lucy wasn’t pissed at him, but she didn’t feel prepared to see him. She drove herself to the beach and parked in the small lot. Her car would be around if she needed to make a quick and discreet escape.

“Lucy!” Jacob yelled out, throwing his hands in the air. He was shirtless, in swimming trunks, and covered with sand. Beer sloshed out of the red plastic cup in his hand when he went to pull her into a hug. It was obvious he’d been at the beach for a few hours already. He looked like he’d have a sunburn tomorrow. The sun had just set, and two of the guys were piling up tender for the bonfire.

“Hey, Jay. Don’t get beer on me.”

Deanna grabbed his arm and pulled him away. “Excuse your cousin. He’s a sloppy mess. We found a bottle of tequila in Donnie’s car.” She gave Lucy a once over. “Hey, you look cute.”

Lucy looked down at her khaki shorts that hit mid-thigh and her cotton top that slipped to the side to bare one shoulder. It was all for comfort, not to impress. The flip-flops were going to have to go soon, though. They were already covered in sand.

“Thanks, Dee. So do you.”

They sat down on a log by the bonfire that had just been started.

“So, Jacob thinks something is up with you and Joff.”

Lucy sighed. “He’s wrong.”

“Really? You’ve seemed kinda off since you went out to see him in California.”

She’d felt kinda off since then because a certain hockey player had been on her mind almost all the time. If he wasn’t such a well-known womanizer, she would have been in bed with him by now. Her pride was just a little too strong and kept her from risking the total embarrassment that would come when he either messed around on her or dumped her because he found the next best thing.

“Things might have gotten a little heavy when I was out there. But don’t tell Jacob. He doesn’t need to know,” Lucy told Deanna.

“Hot and heavy or just heavy.”

“Just heavy. Nothing physical happened, but there are... feelings there.”

“Shit, Lucy. I didn’t know. Are you okay?”

She nodded at Deanna. “I’ll be fine. I just don’t think it’s a good idea for me to be hanging around him right now. I brought my car so I can make a getaway if he shows.”

“Luuuuucy,” Jacob called, throwing his wet, sand-covered arm over her shoulder as he knelt down behind her and Deanna. “I’ve got a surprise for you.”

“Jay, you smell horrible,” Deanna complained. “I swear, I can’t take you anywhere.”

“I’ve got your favorite person in the world,” Jacob stage-whispered to everyone within a five foot radius.

Lucy jerked her head around to look over her shoulder. Fuck. Lupul. He was standing there in a pair of cargo shorts and a T-shirt. His hands were shoved deep in his pockets, and a baseball cap was pulled low on his head to hide his eyes. “Hi,” he said, softly.

“Hi,” she whispered back, swallowing the lump in her throat. He looked good. Really good. His skin was golden, and his lips were full, and his arms were almost bursting out of the thin material of the shirt.

Lupul tilted his head up. “You look good. How was the rest of your summer?”

“Fine.”

“Did, uh, school start back yet?”

“Yeah, a few days ago.”

He shifted his weight to the other foot. “So, a whole new class of kids, eh?”

“Yep.”

Jacob stood up. “Come on, baby, let’s go find some more beer. Loops needs a drink.” He pulled Deanna up off the log.

She resisted, grabbing for Lucy’s hand. “Are you okay?” she whispered.

Lucy forced a small, tight smile and nodded.

When they left, Lupul took Deanna’s seat. The temperature had dropped to the mid-sixties since the sun had gone down, and the wind off the water had become chilly. “So, unfortunately, I’ve missed you,” he said.

“Ditto,” Lucy replied, picking at the hem of her shorts.

“I’m sorry I called you that night when I was drunk. That was out of line.”

She shrugged. “It happens.”

“I need you to know something, though.”

Finally, she found enough courage to lift her eyes and look at him. He was so close, and she could smell his cologne. It made her want to crawl into his lap. “What’s that?”

“I didn’t take her home. I left the club alone.”

Her heart was banging against her ribcage. It was a miracle she was still drawing breath. “You don’t owe me an explanation, Lupul. It’s your life.”

“I know. Just throwing it out there. Take it how you want.”

They sat in awkward silence for several long minutes. It made Lucy want to weep. They’d been so good together as friends. Comfortable banter, laughs, great conversation. Now they were just sad and awkward and hurt. She felt like it was her fault. Either put out and get burned alive by him or stick to her guns and watch this friendship wither away into a shell of itself.

“So, looking forward to the upcoming season?” she asked, unable to take the silence any longer.

“Yeah, camp starts next week. I’m anxious.”

She bumped his shoulder with hers. “You’ll do fine.”

Lupul bumped her back. “You don’t even watch hockey, Lucy. How would you know?”

“I’ve got faith in you.”

He leaned forward with his forearms on his knees and turned his head back to look at her. “I wish you trusted me, too.”

“Don’t start,” she said. “I don’t want to do this here.”

He looked away and sucked in a deep breath, blowing it out of his mouth in an audible exhale. “So, what have you been listening to lately?”

“I’ve been playing the shit out of that new National record. And The Antlers. It all feels like autumn to me.”

“We should get together one day and listen to some albums.”

She watched him carefully. He didn’t seem to be playing games. His eyes were genuine and hopeful. “Yeah, that sounds nice.”

Lucy tensed when she felt an arm drape over her shoulder. “What’s up, lovebirds? I got beer.” Jacob was pinching the rims of two red cups together in one hand and giving Lucy a hug from behind with the other.

Lupul didn’t say anything; he just took one of the cups. Lucy shrugged off her cousin’s heavy arm and took the other. She had to bite her tongue not to say anything about the lovebirds comment. She didn’t want rumors getting around that she was Lupul’s new plaything.

“Hey, Lucy! Can you help me?” Deanna was a few yards away, motioning for her to come over.

“Uh, sure.” She glanced over at Lupul. “Hey, good to see you back in town. Text me sometime. Or whatever.”

That said, she walked over to where Deanna was. “Are you okay?” Dee asked.

“I think so.”

“I thought you might need a rescue. Jacob is convinced he can play cupid.”

Lucy shook her head.

Deanna linked her arm with Lucy’s and pulled her a little ways down the beach. “At first he was pissed that Joff might be after you because, well, Joff’s a little bit of a whore.”

“You don’t have to tell me that,” Lucy replied.

“Yeah, well, Jay was pissed about it. Then he talked to Joff last week on the phone and suddenly he was all about getting you two alone.”

“Why?”

Dee shrugged. “No idea. Jay totally lied to me about Joff being here. I thought he was still in California. He wanted you in the dark so he could surprise you. It’s weird. I don’t know what they talked about, but it had to have been about you.”

“I don’t like being played with,” Lucy said. “Maybe I should just leave.”

“Lucy, don’t. I mean, they’re not being assholes about it. Maybe Joff is serious about you.”

“Serious about me for two weeks, and then he’ll have his dick in some other chick.”

* * *

It was almost midnight, and she was flagging. The temperature had dropped another ten degrees and her little cotton, off-the-shoulder, shirt wasn’t keeping her warm. It had been a long day, and all she wanted was to go home, crawl into bed, and sleep in. Sunday mornings were great for sleeping in and being lazy.

The bonfire had been built up and most everyone had gathered around it. She was sitting cross-legged a few feet away from the crackling wood, nursing her third beer of the night and talking to a couple friends. They disappeared to find more beer, and Lucy sighed. She needed to get up and leave, but first she needed to track down Jacob and tell him goodnight.

“Are you cold?” It was Lupul. He had appeared beside her.

Lucy looked up at him. He was so fucking perfect it was disgusting. “Yeah, a little. I’m getting ready to leave.”

“You should have worn something warmer than this,” he said, settling down in the sand behind her.

She glanced back at him. “What are you doing?”

“Keeping you warm,” he replied, opening his legs and scooting up behind her.

“Lupul, I don’t....” she trailed off as he nestled her between his legs and wrapped his arms around her. Her back came to rest on his chest and stomach. Instantly, she felt like she was on fire. A few moments later, the burning had settled into a slow, dull warmth that made her want to stay there forever, just enjoying the feeling of his arms around her.

“You’re freezing,” he whispered in her ear.

She felt her stomach flop over because he felt so damn good. “You’re hot,” she replied.

Lupul chuckled. “Hot to the touch or just hot?”

“Both.”

“Well, you’re cold to the touch, but you’re hot, too.”

She rolled her eyes. “I’m cute.”

His mouth was on her ear. “You’re beautiful.”

“Stop right now or I’m leaving. I can’t do this with you.”

His grip on her relaxed, but he didn’t let go. “I’m sorry. I just missed you.”

* * *

Lucy dumped all the colored pencils into the plastic storage container and stowed it in the cabinet behind her desk. The kids were all gone for the day, and she had spelling tests to grade before she could leave.

It had been two days, but she could still feel his arms around her while they sat on the beach by the fire. Goddamn him. After too many minutes of shamelessly enjoying the way his body had felt against hers, she’d excused herself and went home and pulled out a vibrator to get herself off because she could not be expected to cuddle up with Lupul and not get hot and bothered.

He’d texted her the next morning--something cute and innocent. She knew what he was up to, though. Laying on the charm by appealing to her heart hadn’t worked, so now he was moving on to plan B-- sexual frustration.

A muffled ding from the bottom desk drawer made her jump. She pulled it open and dug her phone out of her purse. It was a text message.

_JOFF: What do you think?_

She read the text three times, trying to figure out what he was talking about. What did she think about what? Just as she pulled up the keyboard to ask him what he meant, her phone dinged again to indicate a message. A picture popped up right below his text. 

Lucy almost swallowed her tongue. Touching the picture made it bigger, filling her screen. It was of his bare stomach, his lower abdomen, his hip, and upper thigh. A white towel was strategically being held in front of his crotch to provide modesty. She had to remember to breath with all that smooth, tanned skin all over her phone. WIth shaking hands, she texted him back.

_LUCY: Nice, but I prefer backs_

She sat the phone down and picked up the stack of spelling tests. She needed to focus and not think about Joffrey Lupul’s dick. What the fuck did he think he was doing, sending her a picture like that out of the blue at three o’clock in the afternoon? Not even two minutes later and only one spelling test through the stack, her phone dinged again. Lucy tried to be cool, but she snatched her phone up.

Another picture, this time of his back. He’d taken the picture in a mirror, and she could see his handsome profile because his head was turned slightly to the side to look at the phone screen. Damn. He was flexing, showing off to her, because he knew she had a thing for his back.

_LUCY: Practicing for your next nude photo shoot?_

_JOFF: Just trying to get a rise out of you, Lucy_

_LUCY: I’m at attention. Stop teasing me with your body_

_JOFF: Tease me back then. Are you one of those teachers that dresses up all sexy with the tight pencil skirt and the glasses?_

She laughed. This was bad. She shouldn’t be doing this because she’d promised herself that Joffrey Lupul was on the cannot-have-list. She couldn’t handle finding all new friends because one of the group had devastated her. But he was flirting, and he was funny, and it was hard not to get pulled into it.

_LUCY: Sorry. Slacks and a blouse. But I might go daring with my undies now and then_

_JOFF: Lemme see_

_LUCY: No! Perv_

_JOFF: A couple friends and I are going out tomorrow night. You should come along_

_LUCY: Jacob and Deanna are out of town_

_JOFF: I can’t hang out with you without your chaperone?_

She sighed and pushed her hair back. Her brain was screaming that this was a bad idea, but her heart and those areas lower in her body were telling her that she needed to go.

_LUCY: Text me details and I’ll think about it_

* * *

She’d saved the pictures. They were permanently on the memory card of her phone, nestled in there with pictures of the beach and those buildings downtown she’d photographed a month ago. When a gorgeous guy sends you suggestive pictures of his body, you don't just delete them.

It was a school night, and she told herself she was just stopping by to be friendly and maintain a good relationship with Lupul. They need to get rid of all that heavy weirdness that had happened in California. She didn’t know what she’d do if she had to watch him pick up girls, though. Probably leave the club so she didn’t cry or vomit up her dinner. She was determined to be a big girl about it.

The club wasn’t as loud as she’d expected, but that was because it was a Thursday night. She walked in a circuit around the dance floor, searching the tables and the bar along the far wall for him. She felt a little out of place in her jeans and her black blouse. The sleeves came down to her elbows and the neckline was draped to show off her chest. Everyone else was dressed to the nines in short skirts and halter tops and skin-tight dresses.

“Lucy,” she felt an arm slide around her waist from behind.

Turning, she moved out of his reach and forced a smile. “Lupul,” she said with a nod.

He was in a pair of black slacks and a white dress shirt. It was unbuttoned at the top and bottom so he looked casual and sexy. His eyes were clear and happy, not at all drunk, which was what she’d been fearing.

“Come on and I’ll introduce you to everyone. We just got here.”

She followed him over to a cordoned-off area a few yards away--the bottle service tables that cost a fortune. There were three guys lounging on a group of oversized velvet chairs and settees.

One had shaggy blonde hair with a stern mouth and brow bones that made him look perpetually angry, but when Lupul introduced him as Phil Kessel, he gave her a wide, warm smile and a little wave. When he wasn’t scowling, he looked like a nice guy.

The next guy was in jeans, which made her feel more at ease. At least she wasn’t the only one who had dressed down. His brown hair was longer than it really should be, which made it curl out, flipping in all different directions. He gave her a nod and a smile. His name was Tyler Bozak.

“They both play with me,” Lupul told her.

“Nice to meet you,” she said, giving them an awkward smile. She felt like she’d been tricked into a date where she was introduced to and dissected by a council of his friends.

“And this is Biz,” Lupul said, nodding at the man closest to her. He was sitting in the middle of a small settee, and it looked even smaller with his tall frame on it.

“Paul,” the man said, leaning forward. His eyes were dark and he had a full mustache, but no other facial hair--an unusual look. His slacks were slick and expensive-looking, but he had a wife-beater on instead of a dress shirt, another unusual choice. One arm was covered in tattoos, and he looked dangerous. Not because of his wardrobe choice or the ink, but because of the way he watched her.

Lupul gestured to the armchair to the left of Paul. “Have a seat. I’ll go get the waitress. What do you want?”

“Whatever,” Lucy said, trying not to feel weird and awkward with these guys. Why weren’t there other people here? She’d thought this was a group thing.

When Lupul walked off, weaving through the people clustered up against the ropes that separated the private tables from everything else, she forced a quick smile and moved to sit in the chair.

“Why don’t you sit beside me, Lucy?” Paul’s hand shot out and grabbed her wrist. His grip was firm, but not uncomfortable. He easily changed her momentum from the chair to the settee. She tried to compose herself once there, but his arm went around her back, and his body wasn’t giving her much space.

“So, you don’t like hockey at all?” he asked, turning into her and blocking out the other two guys.

“Uh, not really,” Lucy said, shifting away and pushing herself into the armrest.

“Mmm, I’m pretty good when they let me play.”

“You play for Toronto?”

He laughed and turned his head to look at Phil and Tyler. “No, I play for Phoenix.”

“Why are you here?”

“Having a little fun before training camp starts. Loops and I are good friends. So, what do you do, Lucy?”

“I’m, uh, a teacher.” She ducked her head when his free hand came up to brush against her hair.

Paul smiled. “Oh yeah? I always had a thing for teachers.”

She looked around him at the other two guys. Phil looked like he felt bad for her. “So, do you guys like Toronto? Are you from around here?”

“Saskatchewan,” Tyler told her.

“The States,” Phil added. “Wisconsin.

“Really? One of my best friends from high school graduated from the University of Wisconsin in Madison.”

He raised his brows. “Oh yeah? That’s my hometown.”

“She moved there for her fiance. Her husband now, I guess. They love it in Madison.”

Paul leaned closer and picked up her left hand. “I don’t see a ring. Why aren’t you married?”

Lucy smiled tightly at him and pulled her hand away. He was attractive and wasn’t exactly creepy, but how thick he was laying it on made her uncomfortable. “I’m a prude,” she said, leveling her gaze on him.

He blinked and then busted out into laughter.

“Leave her alone, Biz,” Lupul said as he came back with a waitress in a short skirt and skin-tight tank top. She left a couple bottles of booze and a couple beers on the low table. Lupul twisted the cap off a beer and handed it to her. He didn’t look thrilled that she was sitting beside Paul, but he didn’t say anything.

“Hey, I like her, Loops,” Paul said, pouring himself a shot. He knocked it back and sat the shot glass back on the table in front of him before turning to look at Lucy again. “Why are you hanging out with Lupul? You’re not his type.”

Lucy’s eyes shifted over to look at the man in question, her eyebrows raised. She turned back to Paul. “I know I’m not his type, but we’re musical soulmates, apparently.”

“Well, you’re my type,” he said, ignoring pretty much everything she’d said.

Tyler snorted. “Every woman is your type, Biz.”

“Lucy is my favorite type.”

She rolled her eyes. “Your favorite type today.” He was like a cliche of a typical horny hockey player who couldn’t keep it in his pants.

“Hey now, don’t hurt me,” Paul said, flashing her a big smile. “We haven’t set a wedding date yet.”

She looked over at Lupul. His fingers were curled over the ends of the armrests and his back was stiff. She wondered if he’d murder Paul after she left, but he hadn’t said anything and obviously hadn’t told his friends that there was some weirdness between the two of them. Otherwise, Paul, if he were a true friend, wouldn’t have been hitting on her.

“In twenty-five years if I’m still single,” she told Paul.

“Such a hard ass,” he complained.

Tyler had wondered off. He was approaching a blond at the bar. Phil was leaning over and talking to the group at the table next to them.

Lupul was playing on his phone. It irritated her. Why did he invite her out here just to throw her to Paul Bissonnette and dick around on his phone? Especially after he sent her those goddamn pictures.

Paul leaned in and whispered, “I’m way hotter than, Lupul, right? I mean, come on.” He gave her a goofy look, and Lucy couldn’t stop the laughter from bubbling up and out of her mouth. She hadn’t quite figured him out. Was he laying it on so thick because he was the life of the party and just wanted to make her feel comfortable or was he really a whore that was looking for a hookup?

“Maybe lose the mustache. It’s a little too Burt Reynolds for me.”

“Let’s go to the bathroom; I’ll shave it off right now.”

She chuckled. “Don’t be ridiculous.”

Paul leaned in and pressed his lips to her ear. “I’m intrigued, Lucy. A girl hanging around Loops who he hasn’t bagged? What’s the story?”

She shrugged. “No story. We’re friends.”

Lupul wasn’t even listening. He had stood up and walked a few feet away, his phone pressed to his ear. She watched him pull it away and then smile at some girl that walked up to take a swing and see if she could hit a home run by scoring Joffrey Lupul, star center. He was smiling at that bitch. Lucy clenched her teeth.

“You like me?” Paul asked, his mouth on her ear again, his voice a rumble.

Lucy pulled back and looked into his eyes. He was predatory and gleeful. “You’re okay,” she said. “A little too touchy-feely for my tastes.”

“I’m an affectionate guy.”

“But you don’t know me.”

He dropped his arm around her shoulder. “But I’d like to.”

“Plenty of easy pickings in this place for a hockey player, even one from Arizona.”

He chuckled. “They’re boring; you’re fun.”

“Only because I’m not throwing myself at you,” she replied. Lupul was now talking to two women. One of them was wearing underwear. Those weren’t shorts; they were underwear. Who the fuck wore that kind of shit?

Paul’s lips were on her ear again. It gave her goosebumps. “You go to the bathroom with me, I’ll make you come so hard you’ll scream. And I won’t even take off your pants to do it.”

She froze. His breath was ghosting over her ear and down her neck. She had never been propositioned like that before.

“And then we can go back to your place, and I’ll get you off three more times tonight. But I will have to take your pants off for that. Afterward we can set the wedding date.”

Wow. Somebody had some confidence. A little part of her--specifically, the sexually frustrated part--wondered if he could deliver.

Paul had pulled back to look at her face. She turned her head toward him, and he took it as approval to move in. His lips were close to her face and they were getting closer. Lucy put her hand up, blocking him. His lips landed on her fingertips, not her mouth. “Not that kind of girl, Paul. Better move on if you’re looking for a place to spend the night in Toronto.”

He grinned at her. “I’ve got four more days here, sweetheart. I’ll wear you down because you know we’re meant to be.”

Lucy rolled her eyes again, and then looked over to find Lupul. The girls were chattering away right in front of him, but he was watching her. His entire body was tense, and his eyes were hard and burning. Jesus. She needed to get out of this place. It was such a huge mistake to come. He’d thrown her to probably the biggest manwhore in the league, and now he was chatting up women while she watched.

“Tell Lupul that this isn’t my kind of place. I’m leaving,” she told Paul.

“Where will I sleep tonight?”

She smiled at him. “I’m sure you won’t have a problem finding a bed. Maybe Lupul will bunk with you if all the women here are prudes like me.”

Lupul’s eyes were on her as she walked out. She could feel them searing holes into her skin.

* * *

“What the fuck, man?” Joff hissed.

Biz was reclining on the settee with a smug smile on his face. “What?” he asked.

“What was that with Lucy?”

“She's cute. There's something about her. That hot ass in those tight jeans and the way she showed off her tits in that shirt. I tried to get her to spend the night with me, but she turned me down. Makes me want it that much more. You got her number?"

"I didn't bring her here so you could try to fuck her," Joff said. He could feel anger coursing through his body, urging him to punch Biz. 

Biz leaned forward and rested his elbows on his knees. "She said you two are just friends. Why are your panties in a bunch?”

Joff let himself fall back into the chair beside Biz. The two girls were making their way over. He’d tried to shake them, but they were persistent.

“Oh my god, are you, like, a hockey player too?” the brunette asked Biz.

Biz smiled like the Cheshire Cat. “Yes, ma’am.”

“Look, why don’t you girls go have a drink? He and I need to talk,” Joff said through his tight jaw.

“But, I wanted...” one of them started to say.

“Go.” His voice left no room for argument.

“God!” the brunette said, letting out a sigh and clomping off in her heels. She sounded like a petulant little girl.

Biz leaned back again and leveled his gaze on Joff. “Why are you chasing off pussy?”

“Lucy thinks I’m like you.”

The other man laughed. “Like me how? Like chasing tail?”

“Yeah?”

Biz shrugged. “You get your fair share, but you can’t hold a candle to the master.” He had that shit-eating grin on his face.

“So, I invited you so she’d see I wasn’t that bad.”

“I’m the bad example?”

Joff nodded, rubbing his temples. This night had gone downhill fast. Lucy hadn’t stayed long enough for him to even talk to her. His manager had text him about some stupid emergency photoshoot. Seguin had agreed to do it, but he’d punked out and now they needed someone to step in. He shouldn’t have even taken the call; it could have waited until morning.

“You’re the bad example,” he told Biz. “What did you say to her to make her leave?”

“Shit man, she left because of you. Saw you talking to those two chicks and jetted. Told me to tell you that this wasn’t her kind of place.”

Fuck. Two steps forward, three steps back. He thought he’d been getting somewhere. Apparently not.

“I did tell her I’d make her come four times tonight, though. Normally, I’d only agree to three, but she looks like she’d be responsive.” Biz said it with a straight face and then smiled.

Joff could feel his lips narrow into a thin line. “Are you fucking with me?”

Biz laughed. “I didn’t think you were chasing her, so I was working my magic.”

Thank god it didn’t work. Joff ran his hands roughly over his face. “I’ve got to go. I need to go call her. This wasn’t how things were supposed to go. I meant for you to show her how I’m like a fucking angel compared to you.”

“Loops has got it baaaaaad,” Biz said in a sing-song voice.

Joff found Kessel and Bozak and told them he was heading out for the night before he slipped into his car and called her cell. It was almost ten on a school night. He was hoping she wasn’t halfway to bed.

“What do you want?” she said when she answered the phone.

“I need to explain myself. Can I come over?”

“No.”

He felt panic rising up into his chest. “Lucy, please. I just need ten minutes of your time. Ten minutes. I need to apologize for Biz.”

She was quiet. He held his breath and counted the seconds. Five, six, seven. “Ten minutes,” she said in a stern voice. “Hurry up.”

She hung up on him, but that was okay because he’d got what it wanted. It only took twenty minutes to get to her house. She was still in the jeans and blouse. Biz was right; it did do a good job of showing off her chest. He could look right down and see the tops of her tits like they were being served up on a platter. He would bet good money she had no idea.

“Ten minutes,” she reminded him when she opened the door and let him inside.

He followed her, shutting the door behind himself. The living room was bathed in the soft light of the table lamp. The rest of the house was dark.

“I invited Biz and asked you to come because you think I’m like him.”

“What?”

Joff shifted on his feet and looked at her standing across the room with her arms crossed and one hip jutted out. He really wished she would let him touch her. “You think I’m like him, that I fuck around a lot.”

“Don’t you?”

“I serial date stupid girls,” he said. “I pick the dumb, hot girls who are easy. I keep them around for a couple days or a couple months and then I move on. So, I get around. GOT around. But I’m not as bad as Biz.”

Lucy narrowed her eyes, attitude coming off her in waves. He knew he was about to get ripped apart before she even opened her mouth. “Are you fucking serious, Lupul? You’re okay because you found someone who is worse? It’s like me asking you what two plus two is, you telling me five, and then saying that you’re right because that other guy said seven. Fuck you.”

He opened his mouth and then shut it. This was bad. He’d messed it all up. “Lucy, I’m sorry. I don’t know how to make you see that I’m not who you think I am. I’m not that guy. I don’t want to be that guy. I want to be...”

“What, Lupul?” she spit out. “What do you want to be?”

“Your guy.” He said it without really thinking through the consequences of admitting so openly what he’d been chasing for weeks, maybe even for months.

Joff watched as she collapsed back onto the couch behind her. All the anger had left her body, and now she was just a sad, little Lucy who he’d dragged into a bad situation that involved potential heartbreak. He wanted to go to her, but she’d be pissed at him; he knew that much. 

“All I want is a chance. Let me prove it to you,” he said softly.

“Is that what you were doing with those two girls in the club? Proving it to me?”

“Are they here right now? I was trying to shake them the whole time. I wanted to get back to you. Do I need to remind you that I’m practically a virgin? My dick probably doesn’t even work anymore.” He made the last comment with a hint of amusement.

She looked up at him, her side-swept bangs falling over one eye, and chuckled softly. “Don’t worry; Paul seems to be covering those bases for you.”

Joff edged over to the couch and set on the furthest cushion from her. “What exactly did he say to you?”

Lucy grimaced and looked down at the floor. “I don’t think you want to know.”

“I think I do. I need to figure out if I should punch him in the nose tomorrow.”

“He told me if I went to the bathroom with him that he’d make me come without taking my jeans off, and if I brought him home with me that he’d get me off three more times.”

So he wasn’t just talking shit, Joff thought. He’d seriously said that to her. He felt his hands clench into fists. It was just Biz and his way, and he wasn’t about to get into a fight with one of his friends because of a misunderstanding, but it still pissed him off. You didn’t say shit like that to a girl like Lucy. “Four times. Wow,” Joff finally whispered.

“Well, he did say he’d have to take my pants off for the other three.”

Joff looked up and locked eyes with her. There was a beat of silence, and then both of them let loose, laughter echoing off the walls of her tiny little house.

When they’d regained their breath, Lucy said, “Your ten minutes is up.”

He was always hopeful that he’d get to stay, that she’d tell him he could spend the night with her. She never did, not even when they were sleeping across a hallway from one another.

“Do you promise not to freeze me out? I want a chance to prove I’m a good guy.”

Lucy stood up and pulled in a deep breath, her chest rising and then falling as she exhaled. “I’m not freezing you out, Lupul. If I did, then I wouldn’t get to see any great shows for free, and I wouldn’t get half-naked pictures of a hot guy.”

“Oh, you’ve got both of those all over your future. I read it in the horoscope column of the paper today.”

“Get out of here, Lupul.”

* * *

Teenage girls did this shit, he thought. He must be crazy, but he still did it. He still extended his arm, held his phone over his body and snapped a picture. It flashed up on his screen for his approval. Good enough, Joff thought, hitting send. He settled into his bed and laid the phone on the other pillow. It was early, and she was probably just waking up or getting ready to wake up. The picture he’d sent was of his face, and some of his chest as he rested in bed.

Less than five minutes later his phone vibrated. It had to be her. She’d responded with a picture of herself in bed. He could make out part of her face, faint freckles splattered across her nose and cheeks and no glasses. Her clear, dark brown eyes were looking into the camera, not at the screen. He felt like she was looking right into him. There was the barest hint of white lace across her chest and a spaghetti strap that cut over her shoulder. What was she wearing?

_JOFF: Good morning, beautiful. Whatcha wearing?_

_LUCY: Nice try, Mr. Sexting_

He smiled and turned onto his side. It had been a few days since the incident at the club. He’d given her space to cool off, but he couldn’t go much longer without talking to her.

_JOFF: Do you want to know what I'm wearing?_

_LUCY: Yes_

He grinned . Her response had been immediate. Joff could just imagine her, lying there in bed and waiting for him to send her a picture. He looked down his body at the pair of white boxer briefs. What if he had been nude? What would she say then?

_JOFF: I'll show you mine if you show me yours._

He needed to get up and hit the gym, but not until she responded. His phone was resting on his chest, and he closed his eyes as he anticipated the vibration of her next message. Whether it was a picture or her chirping him for asking, he'd be satisfied. Five minutes later and he was reaching for his phone with anticipation.

It was a picture angled down her body. The white lace had been the edge of a white satin camisole. He could see a strip of her fair skin between the bottom of the cami and the pair of white panties she had on. Joff swallowed as his eyes traced the little string of fabric that cut across her hip, connecting the front and back of her underwear. He could just make out the slight protrusion of her nipples against the satin top. What he wouldn’t give to wake up to that every Monday morning. Hell, every morning, period.

He pulled up the camera and adjusted his half hard dick in his boxers. It was pressing against the cotton material, very visible. Lucy was about to find out what happened when he got a look at her panties.

* * *

She couldn't believe she did that--sent him a picture of herself like that. It was totally unlike her, but he was so damn tempting with his gorgeous body and his sweet ways, practically begging her to give in and let him share her bed. The fact that it was more than just lust for his body made him so much harder to resist.

The picture she got back from him a minute later almost made her swallow her tongue. It was angled down his body, showing off his muscular chest, flat stomach, and white boxer briefs that transitioned into thick thighs that were all muscle. The outline of his cock was clearly visible. Shit. Why had she ever stopped his advances? The sex might be worth the heartbreak.

Lucy edged her hand down her body, slipping it underneath the waistband of her panties. He'd already made her wet, and she hadn't even seen the goods. Just as her index finger skimmed over her nub, her phone rang. With her free hand she grabbed it and looked at the screen. Him. Why was he calling her?

"You," she said when she accepted the call. Her hand was still wedged inside her panties, but she wasn't touching herself.

"How'd you like my picture, Lucy?" His voice was deep and sexy.

She opened her mouth to answer, but nothing came out. Clearing her throat, she tried again. “I’m tempted to run a line,” she told him. “Like, do you have a permit for a concealed weapon?”

Lupul chuckled. “I shoved a pair of socks in there so you’d like me.”

“Bullshit. Socks don’t have that shape.”

“I didn’t have that shape before you sent me that picture.”

She moved middle finger down her slit and then back up, dipping the tip of it between her folds. He’d made her wet in record time. Joffrey Lupul didn’t need foreplay; he just had to take off his clothes. Hell, he didn’t even need to to remove his underwear to get her primed.

“I forgot why I’m resisting you,” she admitted.

“Because you think I’m a whore.”

“Oh yeah. that’s right.”

“Except, I’m not,” he said. “I’ve seen the error of my ways.”

She snorted. “Oh, yeah. Sure you have. You’re sending me half naked pictures of yourself.”

“Mmmm,” he replied, his voice a rumble in her ear. “But you’re different. You’re the only one who gets pictures like that. Special for you.”

“Lucky me,” Lucy replied. “They’re going to make me late for work.”

“Did I get you hot, Lucy?”

She bent her knees and let them fall apart. “Yes.”

“Want me to come over and make it better?”

“Yes.” Her eyes went wide. What? What did she just say? “No! No, I have to go to work.”

Lupul chuckled again before his soft voice carried over the line. “Maybe I can help you over the phone. I already know what you’re wearing, now you just have to tell me what you’re doing.”

“Oh, no. No, no, no. Friends don’t have phone sex.” Her face was flushed, and her middle finger was rubbing circles around her clit.

“We can be really weird friends that do. Want to know what I’m doing?”

“Playing Scrabble?” she said between clenched teeth. Her body was throbbing for him. One word and she knew he’d be over at her place. If he hurried, she might not be late for class.

“You better hang up now because if you don’t you’re going to hear me moaning your name while I...”

She jerked the phone away from her ear and ended the call. Fuck. It took two minutes to get herself off. No toys, no aids, just her hands, the mental picture of the way his cock looked beneath the fabric of his underwear, and her memory of how good his body had felt against hers that night at the beach. When she got out of the shower and threw on some clothes, she noticed she had a text message from him.

_JOFF: Chicken_

He was right. She was too afraid to stay on the phone with him.

* * *

“How was work?” Jacob asked, putting a bottle of beer in front of Lucy.

She shifted in her chair at the table they’d grabbed. The bar was just a mile from her house, and she met with Jacob once a week to catch up. Wednesdays were usually their nights because the place wasn’t busy like it was on Thursdays. Thursdays were, apparently, the new Friday.

“I think it’s totally weird for an eleven-year-old to have a cell phone. I didn’t have a phone until I was nineteen. These kids won’t even look at me because they’re too busy checking their text messages. So fucking obnoxious.”

“Didn’t the school ban them?”

“They say the kids can bring them, but can’t use them in class. So I have a desk drawer reserved for cell phones that I confiscate during the day and have to give back before they leave.”

Jacob laughed before knocking back half his bottle of beer in a couple chugs. “So, what’s up with you and Lupul?”

“Nothing,” she said.

“We met up for lunch on Monday, and he was nonstop talking about you.”

Lucy felt herself go still. That was the day they’d come very close to phone sex. “What did he say?”

“That he was going to wear you down until you agreed to go out on a real date with him.”

She felt the color rising in her cheeks. “Nice, Jay. You just outed your friend’s nefarious plans.”

Jacob sat back in his chair. “Shit, Lucy. I don’t think it’s a secret. He’s been after you for months. I called it back when I had my housewarming party.”

What? Twirling her beer bottle around to keep from fidgeting with her hands, she said, “He was still with Destiny then.”

“Yeah, but he was watching you.”

“Why are you suddenly trying to play matchmaker?”

He leaned forward across the table, looking Lucy in the eyes. “I know you think he’s a total womanizer, and you’re right. He’s good at getting what he wants. But these past few months have been pretty strange. I’ve watched him turn down girls left and right, Lucy. He hasn’t been more than friendly and polite to anyone. Except you. People change.”

“First lesson of being a grown woman is that you can’t change a man,” she replied.

“You didn’t change him. Maybe he changed himself to get what he really wants.”

“Stop talking in fucking, riddles, Jay.”

“Oh, hey man! Over here!” Jacob yelled over her shoulder, waving someone to their table.

She glanced over her shoulder and saw Lupul making his way over. He was in a pair of khakis and a dark green polo, and his face lit up with a smile when he saw her. Jesus, she was going to die. Whether cause of death would be ruled as sexual frustration or embarrassment was to be determined. They hadn’t talked since the phone call on Monday morning.

Looking down at her choice of clothing today, she almost groaned aloud. Not exactly the best choice to impress the guy who had sent you naughty pictures that were currently saved on your phone because you planned on using them for inspiration later in the evening. She was wearing a plain, black, A-line skirt that came to her knees and a white long-sleeve blouse. Schoolmarms-R-Us. Ugh. Wait, what was she thinking? She didn’t want to impress Lupul; she wanted him to leave her alone and stop tormenting her.

“Hey, Jay. Hey, Lucy.” Lupul sat down right beside her, pulling the chair closer than it had been before he arrived.

“How has training camp been?” Jacob asked before he held his hand up to catch the waitress’s attention.

“Good. Guys are falling into place. Coach is changing up the lines, seeing what yields results. How’s Lucy?” He bumped his shoulder lightly into hers.

She glanced over and gave him a nervous smile. She could feel the tables turning. Now she was the one who was yearning. Goddammit. “Good,” she said right before she took a huge swig of beer.

Jacob asked the waitress to bring them another beer while Lupul smiled at her. It was a devilish smile, like he was up to something. “So, you have to get up early for work, eh? What time do you leave in the morning?”

“Around seven-thirty.” She kept her head down, not willing to look at him.

Lupul said, “Hmm, so you wake up at like six or six-thirty?”

“Yes. Why do you ask?” Her entire body was a knot. She knew he was just trying to draw attention to their last conversation.

“Just curious. I’m always curious about people’s morning routines. What do you like to do in the morning, Lucy?”

She looked up to meet his gaze. “The usual. Check messages on my phone, masturbate, take a shower, get dressed, eat breakfast.”

Her cousin and Lupul both choked on their beer. “What the fuck, Lucy?” Jacob said, looking at her like she’d lost her mind.

Lupul was just grinning. “Yeah, that’s my routine, too.”

Jacob shifted his eyes back and forth between them. “Obviously, this is some weird inside joke. I’m out of here. Be good, Lucy.” He stood up and dropped a kiss on the top of her head.

“But, wait...” she said, looking after him as he walked off. Her buffer was gone. She didn’t need to be sitting alone with Lupul and his sexy body. Suddenly this whole thing felt like a setup. Jacob had probably told Lupul where she’d be.

“So, how was school today?”

“The usual. Half the class is checking hockey news on their cell phones. You guys are a real pain in my ass.”

“Want me to stop by and tell them that they should listen to you and stop playing with their phones during class?”

“Oh, god. They’d wet their pants if you walked in there. I think you might be a hero to all those boys.”

Lupul smiled at her and scooted closer. As if he could get any closer. She was practically in his lap. “You look nice in your teacher clothes.”

She rolled her eyes at him. “Don’t patronize me, Lupul. I look dumpy.”

“Naw. It’s all sexy in a repressed sort of way. I bet you could recreate that album cover on your wall. Just lift your skirt up and little bit and...”

“Perv,” she said, cutting him off. “Always thinking about the cookie.”

“Cookie?”

Lucy looked at him and raised her brows in question. “Cookie. What? Your mom never called it that?”

He was grinning at her. “Called what that?”

She dropped her voice to barely above a whisper. “Lady parts.” Lucy pointed at her lap.

He glanced down at her lap, and she regretted making the gesture. When he licked his lips, she knew her panties were ruined. “Cookie,” he repeated, amusement lacing the word. “Interesting. And now I’m thinking about your cookie.”

“Stop.” Or I’m going to have to make a trip to the bathroom, she thought.

“Hey, you pointed at it. What was I supposed to do?”

“Be a good friend and stop thinking about me in that way.”

Lupul chuckled. “Lucy, that’s not happening. We’re special friends who think about each other naked.”

“I don’t think about you naked.”

He tilted his head. “Don’t lie.”

“Oh, fine. Maybe once or twice. At least I don’t have to use my imagination since you put it all out there in that magazine.”

“You’re missing one important part that they didn’t show. You use your imagination with that?”

She felt the blush color her cheeks. Goddammit. Her face felt hot, and she probably looked like a tomato. “On occasion.”

“You’re allowed to look, you know. I wouldn’t mind. All you have to do is ask.”

Yeah, she’d have to go take her panties off before she left the bar. They would be soaked if he kept this up. He was winding her up, frustrating her, and causing her heart to bang around in her chest. “I’m not asking for a picture of your dick, Lupul.”

“Lucy, what kind of guy do you think I am? I’d never send a picture like that. That’s something I only show in person.”

She jumped up. “I’ve got to go to the bathroom before I leave.”

“Want some help?” he asked when she turned away.

Lucy glanced over her shoulder. “What, are you taking lessons from Bissonnette?”

“I bet I could make good on his promise.”

She laughed, shaking her head. “It felt more like a threat,” she called out as she made her way to the ladies’ room.

After five minutes in the bathroom to regain her composure, she excused herself and went home. It was a school night, and she had to be up at six in the morning. Plus, hanging around with Lupul was like flirting with disaster. If he got her in bed, then he’d get her heart. And then it would all be over because everyone knew he didn’t keep girlfriends more than a handful of months. If he wasn’t so ingrained in her social circle, then she might have risked it, but almost everyone she spoke to on a regular basis knew him, too.

That didn’t change the fact that when she got home the picture on the wall--the album cover--caught her eye. She’d always been drawn to the artwork. It was so simple, yet so provocative and sexy. Like a delicious promise of secret desire, something to be kept hidden and not shown to the word. Just a peek when no one was looking.

She felt like that was the game she was playing with Lupul. Just a peek when no one was looking, including both of them. They’d been walking the line the past few days. A weird friendship, my ass, she thought. It was dancing close to the edge of something more.

But that didn’t stop her from standing in front of the mirror with her phone in hand. She zoomed in on her waist and thighs, looking at the black linen skirt that protected her modesty. Slowly, she reached down and gathered the middle of the hem in her fingers and lifted, revealing her thighs to the camera. She wasn’t wearing garters or stockings, so it wasn’t a faithful recreation, but it would would have to do. She looked at herself through the phone screen. The apex of her thighs was shrouded in shadow, which was good because she’d taken her panties off when she’d walked in the door. Thanks to him. He knew how to make a girl go through two pairs a day.

Satisfied that he couldn’t really see anything, she snapped a picture and dropped her skirt back into place. Before she could second guess herself, she hit the share button and sent it to his phone.


	5. Chapter 5

He’d left when Lucy did. Things were precarious with her, and he didn’t want her thinking he was sticking around to pick up women after she left. He was hopeful she would text him in the morning, maybe keep their dialogue going so he could keep stroking her. Eventually something had to come of it. Unless she had will power that was beyond anything he’d seen. He knew she was attracted to him; all he needed to do was show her he wasn’t a sleaze ball. He'd been on his best behavior, at least he had after the whole Francesca mistake.

He was stretched out in bed with the television on when he got her message. There was no text, just a picture. A picture that made his jaw drop. Her little hand was clutching the hem of her skirt right above her crotch. Sitting up in bed, he pinched the picture and zoomed in, looking hard to see if she had panties on or not. He wanted to believe she didn’t, that she was tempting him with nothing on underneath that skirt, but he couldn’t say for sure; the shadows were too dark.

He zoomed out and ran his eyes over her thighs, imagining them wrapped around his waist.

_JOFF: I’ll be over in twenty. Keep that skirt on_

He smiled to himself and waited for her protest. He knew it was coming. And if it didn’t, then he was going to throw on a pair of pants and hope he didn’t get a speeding ticket on the way to her house.

_LUCY: Too late. Already took it off. And it’s a school night, can’t have visitors_

Fuck. He adjusted himself and looked at the picture again before replying.

_JOFF: Call me. We need to talk about what you’re wearing_

_LUCY: Weird friendships do not extend to phone sex_

_JOFF: Just sexy pictures?_

_LUCY: On occasion_

_JOFF: I need to know if you had panties on when you took that_

He pulled up the picture again and stroked himself through the fabric of his underwear, hoping she’d just tell him the truth.

_LUCY: No undies_

_JOFF: Fuck you. I’m sexually frustrated. Let me come over. We can extend the weird friendship to include other things_

_LUCY: No way. Go to bed, horndog_

He groaned and rolled over to press his face into the pillow next to him. If she didn’t put him out of his misery soon, he was going to explode. A little part of his brain loved the tease, though. There was something to be said for dragging things out and working for it. As long as he got it in the end, that was.

* * *

It was his birthday, and he wanted two things: a fantastic season that led up to the Stanley Cup playoffs and Lucy in his bed. The preseason was kicking off tomorrow with six rapid-fire games in the course of two weeks before the actual season kicked off in early October. They were playing Chicago at home, and he was itching to get on the ice and start things off right.

As for Lucy--she was a problem. He'd already celebrated with his teammates a day ago. Today Jacob was throwing him a party at the bar they frequented. It was a little place not far from where Lucy lived. They all liked it, and Joff usually didn't have a problem with fans hounding him since his secret spot hadn't been broadcast yet.

Lucy had gone to get a drink at the bar, but she never came back. She'd spent the last fifteen minutes talking to a guy there. He looked like a douche--long hair that flopped over into his eyes and several piercings in his ears. His arms had tattoos covering them from the elbows up, and she was sitting there beside him, laughing at something he'd said.

The guy was standing next to her stool, leaning into her, his elbows on the bar. Joff knew the stance well. It meant he was interested, and he was confident that she was interested, too. He smiled and said something else. She nodded.

"Hey, man. Loops!" Jacob kicked his leg under the table. "What's up?" he asked when Joff looked over at him.

"Nothing," Joff snapped, directing his gaze anywhere but at the bar where Lucy was practically cheating on him. He thought they had a thing, an agreement that they were dancing around a real relationship until she finally gave in. He thought they were just playing a game of cat and mouse, and when she got tired of it then he'd get the prize. If that was the case, what the fuck was she talking to rocker dude for?

He wondered if the guy was in a band. Did he have stuff in common with Lucy? They obviously got along. Fucking competition. As each minute ticked by, he got more pissed. He'd kept his dick in his pants for her, and now she was flirting with some asshole at his birthday party.

"Aww, shit," Jacob said. "You're watching Lucy."

"Who is she talking to?" he asked his friend.

Jay shook his head. "No idea. Never seen him before. I thought you two were practically dating."

"We were getting there. I thought."

"Why don't you go over and talk to her?"

Joff scoffed. "Fuck that, man. I'm done chasing her. If she doesn't want me, then I'll move on. She can have him if she wants. I don't give a shit."

Jacob shifted uncomfortably in his seat. The atmosphere was charged. Despite what he'd just told Jacob, when he saw the guy buy Lucy a drink, he almost charged over there and jerked her back over to his table. This was her choice, though. Maybe she was just a tease, maybe she'd been leading him on the whole time.

Three women near the door were watching him. Over the years he had gotten good at picking out the people who recognized him, but wouldn't approach him. The girls were his type, especially the blonde with the red dress and matching lipstick. He hadn't acknowledged them because the minute he did, they'd come over. It was like a game, one that he used to relish playing.

So, Lucy wanted to fuck around with him and go flirt with other guys? Two could play at that game. If she wasn't going home alone, then he wasn't either. He waited until he felt eyes on him again and then brought his gaze up. The blonde was the alpha, that much was obvious, and it suited him just fine. She locked gazes with him and winked. A carefully calculated smirk hooked her. He'd give her three minutes before she walked by and acted surprised that she recognized him.

Why waste his time with Lucy? Things could be so much easier. A look, a smile, and boom: sex, girlfriend if he wanted one, friends with benefits if he didn't. Easy.

Jacob knew him well enough to see the whole thing play out. "Loops, are you sure? I thought you and Lucy..."

"She's interested in rockstar over there. It's my birthday, and I'm not going home alone."

His tone brooked no argument, and Jay snapped his mouth shut. Smart man. Joff wasn't in the mood to argue about the girl he'd wasted the past five months on.

"Oh my god! You're, like, a player for the Leafs, aren't you? I'm such a huge hockey fan," blondie said as she passed by and did the patented second look. Now all he had to do was reel her in.

He nodded and let a smile play at his lips as he swept his eyes down her body and then back up. Yeah, she'd work. "Maybe," he told her. "I didn't catch your name."

"Charity," she replied, stepping closer and leaning forward to shake his hand. She only did that so she could bend over and flash her tits. So fucking predictable. There was something comforting about it.

Perfect, he thought. Charity. "What do you do, Charity? I hope you're a model because you look that you were born to be one."

She took the empty seat beside him--where Lucy had been sitting before she jumped ship--without him inviting her. Forward. He liked that. Made things go faster. "I AM a model, actually."

"What do you model?"

She gave him a sexy smile. "I pose for Playboy. Maybe you've seen some of my work."

Jackpot. It was too easy. "Maybe I have. What are you doing in Toronto?"

"A photo shoot. I've been looking for someone to show me around town. My friends and I just got in last night." Her french-manicured hand reached out to touch the back of his. "But you're probably much too busy for little old me."

"I might be able to squeeze you in, Charity. It's my birthday and maybe you can keep me company."

"Mmmm, whatever the birthday boy wants," she purred, stroking his hand and giving him another wink.

A quick glance at the bar showed him that Lucy's attention was back on him. Rockstar was talking in her ear, but Lucy's eyes were locked on him and Charity. Joff stared back, meeting her gaze. Fuck you, he thought. You want to jerk me around, I'll jerk you around.

For a moment, she looked stricken, and he almost felt bad, but then she looked away and focused back on the douche next to her. Joff resigned himself to the new course of the evening: small talk and then sex with Charity, Playboy Bunny.

* * *

Charity was better at conversation than Francesca, the last girl he’d had in his lap. But she was still a little on the vapid side. You couldn’t have everything you wanted, right? You want a perfect body and a sex drive that would wear you out, then you have to sacrifice the conversation. Unless you had Lucy, but he didn’t have Lucy. She was still over at the bar with rockstar.

Joff kept stealing glances; he couldn’t help himself. The guy was practically salivating over her, laying it on thick. Who’d blame him, though? Lucy inspired that kind of reaction with those intelligent eyes and witty tongue and gorgeous body that she thought she was hiding with the concert tees and boot-cut jeans. She might have fooled Joff for a minute, but it didn’t look like she was fooling this guy. He knew what he’d hooked, and that pissed Joff off.

Charity felt like the consolation prize, but she was better than nothing. Most guys would be on their knees, thankful for her. She had great lips. Maybe he’d just take her in the bathroom and give them a test drive. Once girls found out he was a professional athlete, they were willing to do a lot of things they wouldn’t normally. Blowjobs in a bathroom stall was one of those things.

Her two friends had joined their group. There were more guys than girls so they didn’t feel left out at all. Charity’s eyes were only for him, though. She was perched on his leg like he was Santa Claus, her arm extend around his shoulder while her fingers tickled the hair at the nap of his neck. He couldn’t decide if it was pleasurable or annoying.

Joff glanced up and caught Lucy watching him. Her dark eyes looked sad. When she saw that he’d noticed, she schooled her expression and looked back at the guy who was trying to take her home. She could go back to her little bedroom with him and cry her eyes out for all he cared. He had a hot girl who was probably going to give him head in the bathroom before he took her home and figured out if his dick still worked after five months of chaste living.

He brought his hand up and pulled Charity’s head down so he could whisper in her ear, tell her his plans. Lucy’s eyes were on him again. He watched her as he murmured to the girl in his lap, who was giggling by now.

Hurt flashed over Lucy’s face, and she flipped herself around to throw money on the bar. A couple words to rockstar and she was out the door. He was on her heels like a dog who wanted to be taken home. For a moment, Joff couldn’t breathe. His chest locked up and his lungs no longer worked because the sick pain was too much. That was the end of things with Lucy. Over before it really began.

Charity’s hand was running up his thigh. He felt her palm his cock right as the roar from his table and the ones around it demanded that he open presents. He sucked in a breath and forced a smile as someone dropped a gift bag in front of him. Charity did her duty as the girlfriend stand-in to help him unwrap everything. When Jacob sat the last present in front of him, he looked Joff in the eye. They didn’t say anything to each other, but Joff knew the present was from Lucy. It made him feel sick.

It was square, about an inch thick, and she’d wrapped it in an old newspaper with blue and white ribbons tied around. He almost smiled because they were his team colors, and he knew she’d picked them on purpose because of that. Charity reached for the package, but he pulled it from her grasp. “I want to open one,” he told her. What he didn’t tell her was that he needed to open this one in particular.

Carefully, he untied the ribbons and ripped at the newspaper where it was taped. It was a small book, like a journal or a photo album. The front of it was decorated with glued-on black letters. Ticket Stub Diary. He flipped the book open and two tickets fell out. The XX at The Opera House in November. A notecard was nestled between the pages. He flipped it over and read her note.

Lupul,  
Do you know how much I stressed over your present? What am I supposed to get the guy who has everything? Obviously an awesome diary to keep your concert stubs so you can get in touch with your inner teenage girl. Just don’t start scrapbooking or I might have to have an intervention. Oh, and tickets to The XX because if you don’t already like them, then you should. Trust me, I know these things. Don’t worry--I checked your schedule. You’ll be home the night of the concert. Take who you’d like; don’t feel obligated to take the gifter.  
Sincerely and weirdly yours in his strange friendship, Lucy

“What are you supposed to do with this?” Charity asked, picking up the book and flipping it over to look at the back cover.

Joff couldn’t breathe again. “Get off,” he said.

“What?”

“Get off of me.”

Charity smiled. “Need to go to the bathroom?” she asked, giving him a wink with her overdone eyes. She had so much mascara and eyeliner or that it was a miracle she could keep them open.

“I said get off me,” he snapped, snatching the book out of her hands.

She jumped up, hands on hips, looking at him like he’d lost his mind. “What’s your problem?”

Everyone was looking at him now. He still could only pull in shallow breaths. His heart hurt, and everyone was staring. And Lucy was gone. And she probably was letting that dumb asshole take her clothes off. And she didn’t even know that he was in fucking love with her.

“Loops? You okay?” It was Jacob.

“No. I’m feeling sick. I need to go home.”

Charity put her hand on his back. “If you give me your keys, I’ll drive you home, honey.”

Joff shrugged her off. “No, I got it. Have a good time in Toronto.”

He looked over at Jacob. His friend nodded. “Cool, man. I’ll grab your presents and bring them by tomorrow. Hope you feel better.”

Jay was a good friend. He understood, and he didn’t say a damn word. Clutching Lucy’s present in his hand, he pushed his way through the crowd by the door and hurried to his car. Once he was behind the wheel, he let out a sigh and sucked in the first deep breath in what felt like forever.

* * *

She could feel her heart shattering into thousands of little pieces. So much for him being a changed man. She’d been right all along: men don’t change; they just manipulate.

“So, we followed them around for a month. Down the east coast of the States, even over into the mid-west, then back up to Ottawa.” The guy--he'd said his name was Dominic--beside her was talking about following a local band as they went on their first tour, but she couldn’t think about anything but Lupul. Dominic had cornered her when she went to the bar to get another drink. With all the people here for Lupul’s party, the waitress was a little taxed, and Lucy was just trying to be helpful.

She hadn’t really wanted to talk to him, even if he was kind of cute with the floppy hair and tattoos. What she’d always found attractive before tended to pale in comparison to Joffrey Lupul. He’d ruined her for other men, and they hadn’t even had sex.

Dominic was nice and eager and his mouth kept moving, words kept coming. He was witty and funny, and she couldn’t figure out a good time to pull away without looking like a bitch. Plus, she couldn’t spend the rest of her life shutting down every guy because she secretly wanted the forbidden fruit.

“I mean, it was pretty crazy. Have you been to South Carolina? A different world, man. Weird accents and Confederate flags. We got lost in this tiny town just outside Columbia. So, we go to a gas station to ask for directions, and I’ve got to take a piss, right. This grandpa on the porch of a little store points me around back. So, I go back there, and it’s a fucking outhouse. No lie. A legit outhouse with the moon cut out of the door!” The more Dominic talked, the less Lucy was interested in what he had to say. Maybe he used up the good stuff in the first twenty minutes and now he was scraping the bottom of the barrel.

Some blonde woman with so much makeup on she looked like she was ready for Halloween a month early was sitting on Lupul's lap. You can’t teach an old dog new tricks, Lucy thought.

He kept glancing over at her with angry, unhappy eyes. She wasn’t sure what point he was trying to make. Was he mad at her for getting trapped at the bar with the storyteller? She was just trying to be polite and fair. They couldn’t keep pining after each other when they both knew it would be a disastrous fallout when things soured. At least she knew that; Lupul didn’t seem to care. He probably wanted her so bad because she’d run from him. Guys were predictable, especially him with his new arm candy.

It was his birthday, but she was on the verge of leaving. This was too much to ask of her. She couldn’t just sit there and watch him charm some woman into being his birthday present after the party. It was disgusting, and she felt ill and heartbroken and depressed.

Maybe this was for the best.

“Mikey said he couldn’t throw up in a for-real outhouse. I mean, you got to puke, then you got to puke. You can’t be choosey about that shit.” Dominic was still going.

She nodded, giving him a small smile. Right about now she felt like puking. The woman’s hand was on Lupul’s crotch, and he wasn’t stopping her. Instead he was whispering in her ear, his eyes locked with Lucy’s. It was too much. Like he was flaunting it because she refused to put out.

Throwing money on the bar for her last drink, she said, “Thanks for the company, Dominic. I really have to go, though. Have a good evening.”

It took all she could muster to get out the pleasantries before pushing away from the bar and practically running out of the place. He was on her heels, though, asking her if she needed help getting home.

“No, I’m fine. I just forgot I left my oven on.”

“I mean, I got a car. I could totally give you a lift.”

The cool air hit her face when she opened the door. She was less than a minute from breaking down into tears. Here she’d worked so hard to prevent the moment when she’d be hurt by him, and it happened anyway. “No, it’s okay. I don’t live that far.”

“You driving?”

She’d had way too much to drink. When Lupul started talking to blondie, she had started pounding drinks like there was no tomorrow. “No, I’ll just walk.”

“I’ll walk with you,” Dominic said, jogging to catch up with her. “You shouldn’t be walking home alone anyway.”

Lucy stopped and turned around. “Dominic, really, I’m fine. I just feel like being alone. Thanks for the drink and thanks for the conversation.”

His puppy-dog eager face morphed into something else, something less friendly. “So, what, you’re a fucking tease?”

“I just have a lot on my mind.”

“Yeah, well, fuck you.” He lifted a hand and flipped her off before turning around and walking back to the parking lot.

She did an about face and continued on her way. Fucking men. She was going to be single the rest of her life. Her house was less than two miles away, and Lucy was determined not to break down into tears before she got there.

By the time she walked into her place, her feet were killing her. The ankle boots she’d worn were new and had three inch heels. They’d rubbed a blister on her right pinky toe and made both her feet ache. Finally letting herself blink the tears out of her eyes, she sat down in the floor and pulled the boots off, throwing them across the room.

After what felt like an eternity, but was really probably only twenty minutes, she picked herself up and wiped the salty tears from her face. She was going to be okay; she’d mourned Lupul and the weird friendship. Now she could move on with her life, starting with a shower and a good night’s sleep.

* * *

It had been over a week. She hadn't spoken to anyone, not even Jacob. He'd called her several times, but all Lucy wanted to do was zone out and focus on her work and all the little things she did to fill her day to keep from standing still and thinking about Joffrey Lupul. By the fourth day of radio silence, she'd finally admitted to herself that she was in love with his stupid ass.

So, she'd planted a tree, three small bushes under the front window, and a carefully-planned bed of flowers in the backyard by her patio. She'd cleaned the entire house, scrubbing baseboards and even the crisper drawers at the bottom of the fridge. She'd gone to the farmer's market and convinced herself that next summer she was going to plant a vegetable patch in her backyard and sell tomatoes. Or maybe she'd raise chickens and sell the eggs. Was she even allowed to have chickens within the city? Anything and everything to keep from thinking about him and her feelings and what an absolute waste every ounce of energy she'd put toward resisting him had been when she'd fallen for him anyway.

It had been thirteen days and Jacob was standing on her front stoop on a Saturday afternoon.

"What?" she asked when she opened the door.

"Why are you avoiding me?"

"I'm not avoiding you," Lucy replied, walking away and leaving the door open.

Jacob stepped inside and looked around at the living room. She'd rearranged all her furniture. "Yeah, you are, Lucy. I haven't talked to you since Lupul's party."

"I've been busy. Did you know there's a huge market for organic produce? Do you think I have room in my backyard to grow tomatoes?"

"What?" he asked, looking at her like she'd lost her mind.

"Tomatoes, Jay. I'm thinking of selling them next year at the farmer's market."

"Is this about Lupul?"

Lucy narrowed her eyes just as the despair settled into her heart. He was the last thing she wanted to talk about. "No, asshole. I've got other things going on in my life. I don't have time to worry about who he is or is not screwing around with."

"Have you talked to him?"

"No. What do you think about cucumbers, though? I feel like if I set up a trellis along the fence that they might do well."

Jacob sat down on the couch and leveled his gaze on her. Lucy shifted uncomfortably and sat down in the armchair across the room. He wasn't taking the bait.

"I think you need to talk to him."

"I think you need to mind your own business, Jay," Lucy snapped. "Lupul and I were never a thing. So if he wants to whore around town, he's welcome to. I just don't think that's the kind of friend I care to have in my life."

Jacob didn't even flinch. "The season starts on Tuesday. First game is away, but he'll be back on Wednesday. There's a home game on Thursday night and another on Saturday. So, maybe you should give him a call on Wednesday and see if you two can meet up on Friday."

"I'm not meeting up with him. I have nothing to say. Now, can we talk about my goddamn vegetable garden?"

Her cousin rolled his eyes at her. "Lucy, you are not planting a vegetable garden. You do this shit to cope."

"Fuck you, Jay. I'm serious about this. This is the new me. I'm going to be like Barefoot Contessa or some shit. All organic with a little herb box on my kitchen windowsill and fresh fruits and vegetables in baskets on the counter. It's going to look like a fucking dream. And I'm going to sell hundreds of tomatoes at the farmers market and people are going to love them. Fucking LOVE them."

Jacob tilted his head and gave her one of those pitying looks. "He didn't go home with that girl, Lucy. He opened your present and almost had a nervous breakdown. He practically ran out of that place. I took the rest of his presents over to his house the next day. He was alone."

Lucy felt her heartbeat stutter. "So what?" she said.

"So, would you just call him? You're both fucking miserable human beings. I can't stand it. Deanna tried to talk to him about you on Thursday, but he was an asshole. We're sick of the bullshit. Grow up."

"You tell him to grow up and stop fucking every whore in town."

Jacob stood up. "Lucy, he DIDN'T. Are you not listening to me? He did not sleep with that girl. He hasn't said a word about anyone but you in the past five months. I swear to god."

She crossed her arms over her chest. "Yeah, whatever. I don't believe that for a second. He can keep on keeping on or whatever he does. I've got better things to do."

Throwing his hands up, Jacob walked across the room. "Yeah, Lucy. Like your garden and your hundreds of tomatoes." He jerked open the door.

"Yeah!" she yelled after him as he left. "My motherfucking garden!"

After he left, she sat there alone, looking at the rug by the door and wondering why she'd said she didn't believe Lupul was on the straight and narrow. Because, really, she wasn't sure. If he was, why had he flaunted the girl at his party? Because she was talking to someone else? Dominic had turned out to be an idiot anyway, and she hadn't let him grope her crotch like Lupul had let blondie do.

* * *

The conversation with Jacob stuck with her, but she didn't call Lupul on Wednesday. She didn't call him on Thursday either, but she did break down and turn on the first home game of the season to catch a glimpse of him. He didn't look like himself with all the gear and the helmet. The only way she could tell him apart from all the other players on the ice was the last name on the back of the jersey. She hadn't even known his number. How horrible was that? They'd been friends and she hadn't even cared enough to find out. She was a bad person.

She met two girlfriends who wanted to see the Ray LaMontagne show on Friday night. The venue was small and intimate with a bar set up at the back. While the girls went to grab a couple beers and a bottle of water for Lucy, she stood by herself in front of the stage and waited for the show to start. Pulling the sleeves of the knit shirt down to cover the heels of her hands, she shoved her hands in the pockets of her jeans.

She hadn't been to a show since The National with Lupul. In fact, her past two shows had been with him. It felt strange. Who'd stand behind her?

"Lucy?"

Lucy glanced over to her right. A man with blonde, shaggy hair was looking at her. He was vaguely familiar. For a moment she froze, unable to place him. Then she remembered. Phil Kessel. Fuck.

"Uh, hey Phil. How have you been?"

"Good, good," he replied, walking up and giving her a quick, one-armed hug around her shoulders. "Haven't seen you around much."

She shrugged. "Oh, you know. Busy and stuff." Panic was rising in her mind. Was Lupul here? She hadn't thought about him coming to the same concert.

"Hey, congratulations on completely fucking with Biz's head. I think he's still confused about why you told him to take a hike."

She forced a short laugh. "Not exactly my type. But I'm sure he found someone else."

"Oh yeah, I'm sure," Phil replied, laughing along with her. "So are you here with someone?"

"A couple friends. You?" Are you here with HIM, she thought. Lucy tried to hide the anxiety that was probably creeping into her eyeballs as she looked at Phil.

"Yeah, I came with Loops because he whined that he didn't have anyone to go with. I don't even know who this guy is. Do you? Ray something or other?"

"LaMontagne." Fuck, fuck, fuck. She needed to leave. Now.

"Yeah, yeah," Phil replied. "He any good?"

"Uh huh," Lucy replied, trying to discreetly search the crowd.

"Oh, hey! Loops!" Phil waved his hand in the air and then pointed down at Lucy's head. "Look who I found!"

She squeezed her eyes shut for a fraction of a second and then turned around. He was standing a few yards away. People were walking back and forth between them, but he had eyes only for her. She couldn't stop staring either. He looked good. A little tired, but good. Gorgeous as always in a pair of jeans, a white tee, and a black jacket. There were two beers in his hands, but he seemed to have forgotten them.

"Lucy," Phil told Lupul, completely misreading the stare, thinking his friend didn’t recognize her.

"Yeah," Lupul said, shifting his eyes away to look to the stage. She watched him pull in a deep breath before pushing through a group of people who had stopped in front of him. “Here’s your beer,” he told Phil.

Phil took it and held it out to Lucy. “Here, you take this one. I’ll go get another.”

“No,” she said, holding her hand up. “I’m just here for the music. No beer for me.”

“Just one beer. On me,” he told her with a smile.

“I’m good,” Lucy replied, trying to ignore the way Lupul was watching her. What was she? An amoeba under a microscope?

The three of them stood there in awkward silence, Lucy trying to look everywhere but at Lupul. “So, you like this guy, yeah?” Phil asked.

Her eyes widened. “What guy?”

“Ray La...something, something.”

“LaMontagne,” both she and Lupul said together. She glanced up and locked gazes with him. “Yeah, he’s good,” she continued, unable to look away from his eyes.

Lucy jumped when her two friends walked up behind her. “Holy shit, the bar is crazy. This show needs to start so the people clear out and move this way,” Gemma said.

Now there were five of them and Lucy felt obligated to diffuse the discomfort by making introductions. She did so, letting everyone shake hands. Gemma already knew Lupul because she was friends with Jacob as well. Alice was as clueless as Lucy felt; she didn't know anything about hockey.

When you got Phil away from guys like Paul Bissonnette, he really opened up and became more talkative and sweet. He immediately took to Alice and started talking with her about the show and what kind of music it was. Gemma jumped in and compared the music to other more well-known bands. Which left Lucy standing awkwardly next to Lupul.

She clenched her teeth together and looked at the floor, her arms crossed over her chest. If she tilted her head just right, her bangs fell down and shielded her eyes from his distracting body. If she was expected to stand here beside him all night, then she was going to need a strong drink or three.

“I didn’t know you were going to be here,” he said, breaking the stiff and uncomfortable silence.

Lucy let out the breath she’d been holding. “Yeah, me neither. I mean, I didn’t know you’d be here.”

“How’s school?”

Oh god, she thought. She couldn’t do small talk with him. She was in love with him, and it took everything she had not to punch him in the chest for what happened at his party. She didn’t so that because that would break her hand. “The usual. Long division and book reports on The Phantom Tollbooth.”

“How’s your boyfriend?”

His question threw her off. “What?” she asked, looking over to hold his gaze. He seemed to be one part hurt and two parts angry. She was just three parts confused.

* * *

How dare she looked confused when he asked her about the asshole who picked her up as his party. The asshole she LET pick her up at his party.

“Your boyfriend,” he said again, enunciating the words.

After he’d left the party, he'd gone home and flipped the table by his door over in a fit of frustration. The crystal vase that some decorator had sat on it went flying across the floor, shattering into chunky shards of glass. He’d sidestepped the mess and sat on the couch with her present on his lap, running his fingers along the notecard. Sincerely and weirdly yours in this strange friendship. That was how she’d signed the card. And he’d thought it was perfect. Perfect just like her.

“I am... in... love,” he had whispered, trying the words on for size. “With a woman who doesn’t love me,” he’d added as an afterthought.

Joff pulled himself back into the present and glanced at Lucy as she stood in front of him, looking so maddeningly like herself and so perfect that he could barely stand it. Black hair in loose curls brushed her shoulders and framed her face. Bangs swept to one side, artfully falling to cover the edge of her black-framed glasses. Her snug, cream-colored, long-sleeve shirt that accentuated her breasts with its V-neck. Her boot-cut jeans and sensible shoes for standing for a few hours at a concert. He ached for her.

“What boyfriend are you talking about?” Her voice had an edge to it. He knew it well. She’d wielded that on him a few times before, but now he had the high ground. She was the one who’d fallen off the wagon.

“Oh, there’s more than one?” Joff asked.

Her eyes narrowed. “There’s zero,” she replied in a frosty tone.

Yeah, right, he thought. She was going to pay for what she’d made him feel. “So, how’s your one-night-stand, then?”

Her back stiffened. “I don’t know what you’re talking about, Lupul, but I don’t appreciate you making accusations.”

“Rocker guy at my birthday party. You two looked real cozy when you left together.” He watched her closely, trying to gauge her reaction.

Lucy’s eyes widened. “Are you serious? You think I went home with him?”

She didn’t look guilty, and that made him uncomfortable. Joff opened his mouth to reply when the lights dimmed and the crowd cheered for the band as they stepped on stage. Fuck. He needed to finish this conversation.

Turning away, she faced the stage and took two steps to the side to put Kessel and Alice between them. Joff took a drink of his beer and watched her. Would it change things if she hadn’t gone home with that guy? Probably. He curled his fingers into his hand because the urge to reach out, grab her arm, and pull her out onto the sidewalk so they could talk was overwhelming.

Instead, he tried to focus on the music and the band. Ray LaMontagne’s voice was husky and soulful, cutting through the music. He played several upbeat songs from his newest album, then slipped into a couple older songs before ramping things back up toward the middle of the set. As he transitioned into the final stretch of songs, Lupul looked over to see Lucy’s head nodding to the music, her eyes closed and her body leaning toward the stage. His heart beat harder because everything she did made him love her even more.

Joff felt like the wind got knocked out of him when the current song faded out and the lights switched. Everything went black except for a blue light focused on Ray LaMontagne, who was playing [the beginning chords of a song Joff had heard](http://youtu.be/5d6u5KWcDqo) not long ago.

In fact, he’d listened to the song the night of his birthday party. After he’d sat on his couch and felt sorry for himself, he’d put his music library on shuffle. Fate had thought it would be funny to rip his heart out even further with Burn from Ray LaMontagne’s first album. It was raw and heartfelt and terrible, a tale of a man who was yearning and hurting and angry over a woman leaving him.

He looked over at Lucy, watching her profile. She looked beautiful, despite all the shit he felt she’d put him through in the past few weeks. Life had felt like a mess of saudade and duende, both terms she’d taught him, since they’d become close. At the same time, life had also been a mess of laughs and good conversation and delicious sexual tension that he, until just recently, had fully expected to resolve itself in her bed. And in her shower. And on the floor of her living room when he came back from an away game and couldn’t wait the ten seconds it would take to get her into the bedroom.

Life had been a mess of emotions since her. Life had been worthwhile since her, even if it sometimes felt like a roller coaster.

The band wrapped up their set and left the stage while the crowd applauded and eventually chanted for more. Kessel was distracted and looked to be actually enjoying himself. Joff took two strides over to Lucy and put a hand on her shoulder. She turned around, surprise in her eyes.

He leaned in and said, “Can we talk?” in her ear.

Lucy gave him a sad lift of the corners of her mouth. It didn’t qualify as a smile, really.

He mouthed the word please to her, and she just shrugged in response. Good enough, he thought, taking her hand in his and pulling her out the front door and onto the sidewalk. It was cold outside, but it felt good after the press of so many bodies inside.

Once they were alone, she pulled her hand out of his grasp. Joff didn’t fight her because he didn’t know what the hell he was doing anyway. “I thought you were jerking me around. I thought you went home with that guy.”

Hurt flashed across her face. He regretted every word that had just come out of his mouth. “I can’t believe you actually thought that little of me.” Her voice was soft. Where she’d always been outspoken and tough when they’d disagreed before, now she just sounded sad and tired.

“I’m sorry,” he whispered, shoving his hands in his pockets because he didn’t know what to do with them when he was around her.

“You didn’t look too broken up about it that night with that girl on your lap.” Her voice was breaking his heart. She sounded beaten.

“Lucy, I...”

“No,” she said, interrupting him. “It’s fine. I understand. Maybe we should just not do this anymore, Lupul. I can’t hang.”

“But I didn’t....”

“I know. You didn’t sleep with her. Jacob told me.” She scuffed her boot along the concrete before looking back up at him. “But I don’t think I can be friends with you. Not anymore. I can’t watch that and be okay with it. And it’s not fair for me to tell you that you can’t talk to girls.”

This felt worse than the night of his party. That was jealousy and anger and indignation. This was raw hurt and the real end of something he needed in his life. “I need to tell you something,” he whispered, stepping closer.

Lucy took a step back and held up her hand. “Don’t. Can you tell Gemma and Alice that I went home?”

“Lucy,” he pleaded, reaching for her hand. “Why can’t we just...”

“Because I can’t handle it, Joffrey.”

He stepped back. Her use of his first name felt like a sucker punch.

Her eyes were rimmed with tears. “Hey,” she said, giving him a small smile. “I’ll send you some tomatoes from my garden next summer. Maybe Jacob will drop them off at your place.”

“You have a garden?” What was she talking about?

“Not yet. But I will one day. Stay out of trouble, yeah?” She turned her back on him and he panicked. Real, true panic that this was it and he’d never have her, might not even get to see her again.

“Lucy, please.”

She kept walking, and he felt gutted and crushed for the first time in his life.

“Hey! Loops! Why’d you leave? The encore was great!” Kessel was holding the door open and looking at him with a dumb smile on his face. When Joff looked up to meet his teammate’s gaze, Kessel’s eyes widened. “Are you okay, man?”

“No.”

“Bad news?”

“The worst.”

“Nobody died, right?” Kessel asked, stepping outside, suddenly serious.

“I might. This sucks.”

* * *

They were home for Halloween. Bozak was throwing a party, but Joff didn’t feel like going. He hadn’t felt like much these days. Everything was just going through the motions--practice, morning skate, games, working out, road trips, hotels. Right after Lucy walked off, they’d went on a four day road trip out west, and he’d considered going into the lobby of the hotel in Colorado and picking up a girl just to get his mind off her. Instead he’d stayed in and watched a shitty movie with Phaneuf, who seemed surprised that Joff wasn’t out enjoying the nightlife.

There were kids crawling the streets with costumes on, even in his neighborhood. He toyed with the idea of giving out candy, but he just felt tired and sad and off his game. The thing with Lucy had thrown him, and he missed her so much it was almost unbearable.

Jacob wouldn’t talk about it. He’d tried to ask his friend how she was doing, but Jacob had just shaken his head and said, “Either you two get your shit together, kiss, and make up, or just cut it off. This back and forth is fucking stupid.”

He was right; it was fucking stupid. Joff flipped the channels until he found a game--Pittsburgh was playing Tampa Bay. After ten minutes, one penalty to Malkin, and one shorthanded goal, he pulled out his phone and opened his messages.

There was an old one from Biz that he’d received yesterday. Two earlier in the day from Kessel and Jacob. Another one an hour ago from Bozak, telling him that he was a punk for not coming to the party. And then there were her messages that he hadn’t been able to delete just yet, including the pictures she’d sent him.

_JOFF: I miss you_

He hit send before he could rethink the stupidity of it. Jacob said to fix it or cut it off. She’d cut it off because deep down he knew they both weren’t positive it could be fixed. Lucy had her ideas about him, and he hadn’t been able to change those. And, apparently, he couldn’t handle her talking to other guys either.

That’s what happened when you danced around dating, but never actually agreed to date. The first period of the game ended, one to nothing. He stretched out on the couch, his feet propped up on the coffee table and watched the intermission report and the beginning of the second period. No response. It wasn’t surprising.

Joff got up to take a piss and when he came back, he looked at his phone out of habit. It was face-up on the low coffee table, and the green light was blinking. He had a message. Probably a junk e-mail or someone at Bozak’s party telling him he was missing out on a good time. He controlled his desire to pick up the phone and check the message for a full three minutes before he caved in.

_LUCY: I miss you too_

He closed his eyes as the feeling rushed through his body. It was like he was a drug addict and she’d given him a fix. This was unhealthy.

_JOFF: I thought you were going to ignore me for the rest of your life_

_LUCY: Tried. It’s hard_

_JOFF: Can I come over? I have some things I need to tell you_

_LUCY: No, bad idea_

He felt that flash of jealousy. Was there another guy? It had been a couple weeks since the night of the concert. Enough time for her to meet someone.

_LUCY: Currently gorging on a bowl of Halloween candy because there’s no kids in my neighborhood. Not a pretty sight_

Oh, so no guy. Good. He needed to get this under control and just tell her that he loved her and wanted to be with her, wanted to spend his free time listening to music with her and eating lunch in her little kitchen and helping her grow tomatoes or whatever the hell she was doing. And undressing her. That too.

_JOFF: I have something to say that isn’t appropriate for texting. It’s an in-person kind of statement_

_LUCY: You want to tell me I should be ashamed that I listen to Chromeo, don’t you?_

He laughed softly, rubbing his phone screen, touching her name with the pad of his thumb.

_JOFF: Naw, they're weirdly good_

_LUCY: Remember when we used to hate each other?_

Yeah, he did, actually. It wasn’t even that long ago. He had seen her several times and had never wanted to talk to her because he’d thought she was a bitch. Life was strange.

_JOFF: I do, judgmental bitch_

_LUCY: That’s so weird. To remember that. Sometimes I wish I could hate you again_

_JOFF: I know exactly what you mean_

He’d had that thought many times over in the past few weeks. If he could just change his feelings then things could return to normal, and he could revert back to having a good time and enjoying his youth. Except, he’d turned thirty this year. It was time to grow up.

_JOFF: What’s that song where the guy says something like thirty is not the new twenty?_

_LUCY:[Never Never Land.](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EM9lSE3LDPU) Lyfe Jennings. I didn’t think R&B was your thing_

_JOFF: Don’t pigeonhole me. I like everything_

_LUCY: Except country_

_JOFF: Right. And techno_

_LUCY: That’s a good song. I think it was in response to Jay-Z saying that thirty is the new twenty_

_JOFF: What does Jennings say again?_

_LUCY: I don’t care what they told you. Thirty is not the new twenty. It’s the same old thirty_

He smiled. That was it. Of course she’d know exactly what he was talking about. When did he meet someone who could do that with him? Never. Over the years he’d met a lot of great people whom he liked, some of who he was still friends with, but none of them got him like her.

_JOFF: Yeah, that’s it. I turned thirty this year_

_LUCY: So thirty isn’t the new twenty?_

_JOFF: Nope. Same old thirty. But that’s okay. I’m ready_

She didn’t respond right away. He hoped she understood what he was trying to tell her without actually saying it. Because he knew that neither one of them could handle this head on right now. A few minutes ago he’d wanted to drive over to her place and tell her he was in love with her and then maybe throw her on the bed and show her he was telling the truth. But that wouldn’t work. It was so delicate right now.

_LUCY: You know what I’ve been listening to lately?_

_JOFF: What?_

It took forever for her to respond. Engelland and Malone were fighting. Malone had hit Crosby behind the net, throwing an elbow a bit too high. The ref didn’t catch it, but the guys on the ice did. The ref and a lineman broke them up and sent them off. Play resumed while he clutched his phone in his hand.

_LUCY:[Angels by The XX](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_nW5AF0m9Zw)_

Leaning forward, he pulled the laptop off the coffee table and downloaded the album. She’d given him tickets for the band’s concert next month, but things had been so hectic and his friendship with her had been so fucked since then that he hadn’t bothered to give them a listen. Was she talking to him through this song like he’d been talking to her by mentioning the Lyfe Jennings song?

_JOFF: Downloading. Never heard it before_

He started the song before she texted him back. It was airy and quiet, minimalist. Just a spacey guitar and a soft female voice. He sat there on his couch and got lost because the vocalist was weaving the lyrics like gentle poetry, confessing her love. The short little song was almost over before he looked down at his phone. A message.

_LUCY: It’s beautiful. Poetic. Saudade. Light reflects from your shadow, it is more than I thought could exist_

That was the first line of the song. His chest hurt.

_JOFF: Can I come over, Lucy?_

_LUCY: Just let it sit there for a minute, Lupul. I can’t do everything in one night_

He pulled in a deep breath and blew it out his parted lips. He understood what she was saying, and she was right. They needed to let what was said between the lines hang out instead of jumping on it. It was more straightforward than either of them had ever been about their feelings.

Did she love him back? Was the song the possibility or the reality?

_JOFF: I understand. And I feel that song. Reminds me of you_

He stared at the screen. Understand, please understand, he thought. I need you to know.

_LUCY: Finish listening to that album and go to bed_

_JOFF: I have a song for you to listen to_

_LUCY: Spill. I’ll take it to bed with me_

_He smiled. Perfect. It was just the song he wanted her to go to bed with_

__JOFF: Talib Kweli.[Talk To You](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_nW5AF0m9Zw)_ _

__LUCY: Never heard it_ _

__JOFF: Good. Download it and take it to bed. Exactly where I want you to hear it_ _


	6. Chapter 6

She shouldn't have responded to his text, but it was so hard to ignore him now that she knew him so well. He was more than just the party-going hockey player who was a ladies man. He was intelligent and insightful and kind and sweet. And he was funny, too. He made her smile.

Despite her plans and schemes to keep herself busy and her insistence that they couldn't be friends, she still thought about him every day. Two days ago she'd confiscated a phone from a student in her class who was texting. The wallpaper on the smartphone was Lupul. The little boy admired him so much, he looked at a picture of him in his hockey gear every single day. She'd asked the class to read quietly to themselves so she could compose herself after the punch to the gut.

So, when he texted her with that little line, telling her that he missed her, she felt powerless to ignore it. She managed to keep her hands off her phone for almost forty-five whole minutes, but in the end it was inevitable.

Lucy crawled into bed with a pair of headphones so she could play the song she'd just downloaded off iTunes. When he'd told her to take it to bed with her, she was tempted to look up the lyrics to see what he was trying to tell her. They were such cowards, the two of them, trying to have a conversation through the veil of music.

Settling into middle of the mattress, she laid her head on the cool pillow and pressed play.

The song started out so gently, a jazzy guitar with soft percussion and multiple vocals layered over one another as they repeated the title of the song again and again. It was smooth and vaguely sexy, relaxing, especially coming through her headphones while she rested in bed. A minute into the song, a man started talking. It wasn't really rapping because the flow was softer, more poetic.

He was telling a woman all the things he wanted to give to her, or rather, be for her. It was sweet, but still very adult. Not puppy love and glitter, not pussy-popping and dicks. It was intimate and sexy, though.

She melted down into the bed as the verse ended and a man started singing very slowly, wooing. It was the best word she could apply to it. Wooing or courting.

Lucy almost texted him when the song finished. But if she had, then she'd have end up telling him to come over. That would have been jumping the gun. Whatever had happened between them needed to marinate for a bit.

* * *

_LUCY: Come through and arouse you every morning like the sun do_

It was six seventeen on a Wednesday morning. She'd fallen asleep listening to the song he'd told her to download, and it was still in her head. The text was one of the lyrics, one of the lines of poetry.

_JOFF: I want you to come to when I come through and make you shine like the sun do_

He replied to her text before she'd even gotten out of bed, like he'd been lying in his and waiting for her to say something. It made her heart thud in her chest as she read his lyrical response, another line from the song.

_LUCY: Good morning Mr. Lupul_

_JOFF: Good morning Lucy. Thank you for talking to me last night_

He was melting her resistances again. It was like a cycle. She was determined to do something about it this time. She'd been lying to herself when she rebuffed his advances. She was already too deep not to get hurt. When she'd crossed that blurred line wasn't really evident, but she wouldn't have three library books on how to grow organic produce if she hadn't already been trying to cope with heartbreak.

_LUCY: Why up so early?_

_JOFF: Light workout before morning skate. We have a game tonight_

_LUCY: Good luck_

_JOFF: You need to tell me when I can see you. You and I have unresolved business_

She smiled at his attempt at seriousness and humor all rolled into one.

_LUCY: I'll think about it. I need some time to digest everything_

_JOFF: I'm out of town this weekend. Away games. You have a week and then I'm going to come find you_

_LUCY: A threat?_

_JOFF: A promise_

She put her phone down and went to get a shower. Really, she wanted to get in the car and drive over to his place, but there were twenty kids who would be expecting her in her classroom not long from now. And Lupul's bedroom was probably a black hole that wouldn't spit her out anytime soon.

* * *

She was a fucking chicken. A big, fat chicken who was scared to call him. It had been a week, and she suspected he’d be calling her soon. She’d watched part of both games he’d gone out of town to play, but she didn’t call him or text him and he didn’t reach out to her. She knew he was just giving her the space she’d asked for that night they’d texted. Calling just seemed so intimate. Texts were easier. She had time to think about her responses.

“Deanna’s mom hates me,” Jacob said before he put his forehead on their usual table.

Lucy patted the back of his head. “She does not, Jay.”

“She does. She thinks I’m a deadbeat because I don’t own a house.”

“You’re just imagining it. I think she’s just... stern. Old school.”

He lifted his head. “Old school and hates me.”

She laughed. “Deanna loves you, and her mom will learn to love you.”

Jacob looked at his watch and then the door.

“You waiting for her mom to bust up in here and demand you buy a house?”

“I wouldn’t put it past her.” Jacob hit the table with his fist lightly. “I gotta go. I promised Deanna I would, uh, buy groceries and shit.”

She furrowed her brows. “What? Groceries? We’ve been here for fifteen minutes. You haven’t even finished your beer.”

“I know, but I gotta go. Lots to do. Be good.” He dropped his usual kiss on the top of her head and practically sprinted out. She turned her head to watch him go. What a jerk. He hadn’t even paid for his beer.

“Weird,” Lucy said, turning back around.

“Totally weird.”

She almost jumped out of her chair because Lupul was sitting beside her at the table. It was a setup. Those sneaky assholes. “You scared the hell out of me!”

“Your week is up,” he said, leaning in closer. She could smell his cologne. God, he was almost irresistible up close. He was in a long-sleeve tee that clung to every contour of his well-defined chest.

She looked at her clunky silver and black watch. “I’ve still got a few more hours.”

“I’ve got a few hours to waste.”

He was close, and she was having trouble thinking. Flashes of their texts kept popping into her mind, and that damn song he’d sent her to bed with with was stuck in her head. Had been for the past week. “How’s, uh, hockey stuff going?”

Lupul laughed and braced his hand on the back of her chair. “How can you be so clueless about hockey?”

“Does that bother you?”

“I told you before that it doesn’t. If anything, it’s a little cute.”

“I saved all my brain room for music knowledge.”

He leaned in and tucked a strand of her hair behind her ear. “I bet you’ve got plenty of room in this brain of yours.”

Lucy grinned at him. “Are you hitting on my brain, Joffrey Lupul?”

“Totally.” He watched her with those beautiful eyes. “So, I figured out our problem.”

“What’s our problem?”

“You.”

Her jaw dropped, and he used the index finger of his free hand to close it. “Me? I am NOT the problem.”

“I’m afraid you are, Lucy,” he said, trying to affect a serious tone, but his eyes were shining with humor.

“How do you figure?”

He scooted closer until his knees were pressed into her thigh. “Well, I want you to myself, but you won’t let me have you. So, I see you with other guys and I get mad.”

She tilted her head and gave him the look that said she thought he was full of shit.

“Mad and sad,” he said, pushing his lower lip out in a pout. “And then I want to get back at you by talking to other girls.”

“Sure, talking.”

“Talking and having sex with. But the problem is I can’t get to the sex part because I have this huge, massive... conscience.”

Lucy lifted on corner of her mouth up in a smirk. “A huge... massive... conscience?”

“I know. You’re intrigued now. Girls love my big conscience.”

“You are too much,” she said, leaning forward and laughing with her hand on his knee.

“I hear that all the time. It’s too big.”

Lucy let go of his knee and punched his shoulder. “Ouch,” she hissed.

“This body is a weapon. Don’t hurt yourself.”

“Do you have an earpiece in? Is Paul Bissonnette feeding you lines?”

This time he laughed. “So, anyway, the huge conscience gets in the way because I feel like I should be faithful to you, but we’re not dating. So, we get all the guilt, but none of the fun parts.”

“Fun parts?”

“I tried to throw in some fun parts when we were doing the weird friendship where we thought about each other naked, but that didn’t work. All we got was guilt.”

“It sounds like you’ve thought a lot about this.”

He nodded, eyes wide like a little puppy dog. He was totally screwing around; she could see that little gleam in his eye. He was also being sincere in an odd way.

“Oh, I have. Road games are like therapy. You sit in a hotel room and think about your life. You sit in a bus and think about your life. You sit in a plane and think about your life. You sit in the shitty visitor’s locker room of Madison Square Garden and think about your life and how the woman who refuses to date you would probably drop her panties for Henrik Lundqvist.”

“Who is Henrik Lundqvist?”

He pulled his phone out of his pocket. “I prepared for that question.”

A couple seconds later, he held the screen up for her. A painfully handsome man with stubble was staring back at her. He looked like a model. “Wow,” she said.

Lupul rolled his eyes. Actually rolled his eyes and blacked out the screen before he pulled his phone away. “I knew it.”

“I just said wow.”

“You implied.”

“You’re saucy tonight,” she told him.

He chuckled and reached a hand under her leg to grab the seat of her chair and scoot it around to face him more fully. “I’m saucy?”

“Have you been rehearsing this conversation?”

“All fucking week. I didn’t want to screw it up.”

“I wouldn’t drop my panties for the Henrik guy. Who is he? A model?”

“The Rangers goalie.”

Lucy’s eyes widened. “Really? I thought goalies got hit by pucks.”

“Dig the hole, Lucy. Dig the hole. “ He paused and looked at her, the amusement fading out of his eyes for a moment. “How am I doing?”

She smiled softly at him. “You don’t have to try so hard. You’ve already got me.”

* * *

He was running on adrenaline. They’d knocked out two away games and one home game in the past week. They were busing it to Buffalo for a game tomorrow before flying down to Florida to play the Lightning, then back up to Pittsburgh before finally coming home. Six days. He was leaving tomorrow, and he’d be gone for six days.

And he’d spent the past six days composing this conversation with Lucy in his head. He was just glad she’d been receptive. She’d been more than, actually. She had laughed and smiled and looked at him with her dark eyes filled with promise. He was floating on air because she just said that she was his.

“So, my problem now is: I have you, but I have this job that requires me to leave the country for six days.”

Lucy pushed her lower lip out in a pout. “Poor baby.”

“I know; it blows.”

“So eloquent, Lupul.”

“You know me. I....”

“Well, look who’s here!” A male voice boomed over the droning music coming out of the speakers on the walls. Joff looked up at the same time as Lucy and saw rocker guy, the one he’d wanted to punch the night of his birthday party.

“Shit,” Lucy muttered, turning her head away and putting a hand up to shield her face.

“Don’t hide, Lucy. It was Lucy, right? Lucy the fucking tease who walks out on....”

Joff stood up so quickly his chair almost tipped over. “Walk away,” he told the guy.

“You think you’re fucking her tonight?” the guy asked Joff. “I thought I was a few weeks ago, but she left me with blue balls. Nothing is worse than a tease.”

She stood up and put a hand on Joff’s chest. It was the only thing that kept him from decking the asshole in the leather jacket. “Dominic, right?” she said.

“Oh, you remember me, huh?”

“I remember I never once agreed to ever go anywhere with you,” she told him. “Now stop making a scene. You’re embarrassing yourself.”

He took a step toward Lucy, and Joff could see him swaying. He was drunk. Probably drunker than he seemed.

“Why do you think we were talking?" the guy spit out.

“You say another word to her, you’ll regret it,” Joff said, moving past Lucy. He put his body between hers and the asshole who was trying to berate her.

“Lupul, it’s fine. Let’s just leave.”

“Oh, you’re whoring it up with this guy, but I’m not good enough?” As soon as he finished the final word, Joff felt a flash of rage surge through his blood. He pulled his fist back and punched the guy in the face. Rockstar hadn’t been expecting it, so he hit the floor like a sack of potatoes, out cold.

A woman two tables away shrieked, and then a burly man who was sitting by the front door charged over, putting his arm out to push Joff back. The bouncer didn’t need to because Joff was done. The guy on the floor was a skinny punk who thought he could intimidate women or shame them because they wouldn’t fuck him, but he wasn’t a fighter.

Joff held up his hands. His fist was stinging a little, but that was just because he’d connected with the guy’s cheekbone. “I’m done,” he told the bouncer.

Two more men came over, one of them squatting down to check on rockstar who was coming back to consciousness. “Are you okay, buddy?” he said.

Joff looked behind him. Lucy was unusually pale and her hands were clenched into tight fists against her chest. “Are you okay, Lucy?”

“You punched him,” she said.

“He was being rude to you. I didn’t like it.”

“You can’t just punch people.”

He stepped closer to her, worried she was mad at him. His worries dissolved when she wrapped her arms around his waist.

“She’s right; you can’t just punch people,” the bartender said.

Lupul shrugged and put his arms around Lucy. “He’s a dick, and he was being aggressive with my girl.”

The explanation felt good, sounded good. His girl. He was just protecting his girl.

“We’re leaving,” Joff told the bouncer and bartender. “Sorry for the trouble.”

“Hey, fuck you, dude," rockstar said to the man who was trying to help him stand back up. “Get the fuck off me.”

The bouncer shook his head before nodding at the door. “Go on, man. We’ll take care of it.”

Joff inclined his head in thanks before leading Lucy out the door and into the chilly November night.

Once they were standing beside her car, he reached down and lifted her head up with a finger under her chin. “You okay?”

“I suck,” she said.

Joff smiled. “Why do you suck?”

“Why do I always end up talking to assholes who get themselves beat up in bars?”

He thought back to her last boyfriend. What was his name? Dennis. Dennis had gotten himself knocked out by Jacob way back before Joff even cared about Lucy. “Wow, you do suck,” he said.

She hit him in the chest with the heel of her right hand. It just felt like a tiny bump. “I’m kidding, Lucy,” he said. “You and I have both made shitty choices in the past.”

“Eww, I never thought of it that way.”

“Creep you out?”

She shivered. “Totally. Me and Lupul: making bad life choices.”

“Not anymore,” he said. “Now let’s talk about this horrible schedule of mine. I’m gone until next Tuesday.”

“Are you trying to ask me if you can come home with me tonight?” she asked, looking up at him.

He smiled down at her. If only, he thought. Adjusting her glasses on her pretty little face, he said, “Are you propositioning me, Lucy?”

“I might be curious about your underwear.”

“Yeah, yeah,” he said, winking at her. “I gave this some thought over the last week. I figured if our little conversation went over well and you didn’t hate me, then I’d make you suffer a little. Like you made me suffer.”

Her eyes were dark and distrustful. “What are you going to do?”

“I’m going to make you wait until I get back in town from this road trip.”

“Why?”

Her question made him laugh. Oh, how the tables had turned. “Because I like to watch you squirm.” His eyes softened. “And because tonight would be like a shitty one-night-stand since I have to leave for six days at eight tomorrow morning.”

“Damn, Lupul. Are you getting all romantic on me?”

“You getting all sex-crazed on me?”

“No. You know I have astounding will power.” She pulled her car door open and slipped inside.

He wanted to get in there with her and go back to her place so badly. But he’d spent hours over the past week planning this, thinking about the best way to orchestrate things so that they wouldn’t get fucked up and he wouldn’t end up lovesick and mooning over her while listening to a goddamn Ray LaMontagne song or National song. He’d gone without for months. What was another few days?

“I’ll wreck your willpower next week,” he told her before shutting her car door and waving goodbye.

* * *

He sulked out of the administrative office for the Leafs and boarded the bus a couple minutes late. Most of the guys were either deep into their video games or talking among themselves. Joff lowered himself into a seat next to Kessel about halfway down the aisle.

"They get you?" Kessel asked with a little grin.

"Yeah." That's why he liked Kessel. No bullshit or chirping when a guy wasn't in the mood to hear it. Just acknowledgement and moving on. He hated talking to the Public Relations people.

"I'd expect Bozak to get into bar fights over girls before you, Loops. I thought you were a lover, not a fighter," Kessel replied. Joff mentally took back every nice thing he'd just thought about the man.

"The guy was a grade A dick. He said some shit to Lucy that I wasn't cool with."

Kessel nodded and wedged his earbuds into his ears and then plugged the headphones into a PSP. "I'd have done the same thing, man. She's something... I don't know... dIfferent."

"Yeah," Joff responded. He'd gotten in a little bit of hot water with the P.R. department for the hockey club. A couple people in the bar had talked about the scuffle, which didn't even amount to a fight, and a picture got out of the dick and his swollen face. The buzz about the fight was minimal since it hadn't been at a high-profile place and there was no police report, but they still weren't happy with him. He'd had to come in early for a lecture like he was a fucking fourteen-year-old boy.

"You know I was going to ask her out," Kessel said, nonchalantly, powering up the PSP.

Joff looked over and gave his friend a weird look. "Ask who out?"

"Lucy. When I saw her at the show that night while you were getting beers, she kinda got to me. I joked with her about Biz and all that bullshit. And she's kinda hot in that every single day kind of way."

Kessel was his friend, but he still felt the flame of jealousy lick at his mind. "Every single day kind of way?"

"Like, you'd want to wake up to that and go to bed with that every single day. Not a one-night deal in a club." Kessel waved off his explanation. "You know what I mean."

Yeah, he did know exactly what Kessel meant. He just hadn't known that was what the other man thought of Lucy. "What stopped you from asking her out?"

Kessel chuckled under his breath and shifted in his seat to get comfortable. "You. It was pretty obvious there was some stuff between you and her when you got there with the beers."

"I thought I was pretty smooth about it," Joff replied.

"Naw, man. You were obvious. I thought you were going to die. Felt like we were fifteen and the girl you liked was completely ignoring you at the school dance."

Joff let out a surprised bark of laughter before slouching down in his seat and pulling his cap low over his eyes. "Fuck you, Kessel."

"And then you were about two seconds from writing a fucking emo love ballad when I caught you outside after she left."

"Yuck it up, asshole. I'll make sure I'm on the other team at the next practice."

Kessel shook his head. "You and her together yet?"

"Why? You trying to ask her out now?" If Kessel said yes, then Joff was going to have to get up and leave the bus before he punched him. Jealousy wasn't really an emotion he was used to having, especially when the women he had always dated were attention whores who begged for men to look at them.

"Fuck no. You'd kill me." Kessel leaned toward the window and looked at Joff over the top of his PSP. "She is pretty hot though, with the eyes and the glasses and the smile and those..."

He didn't get to finished because Joff punched him in the arm. "Better shut up," he warned Kessel.

"I've got a date with her friend Alice when we get back into town," his teammate said, rubbing his upper arm where Joff had hit him. "I'm not going to steal your girl. She didn't seem like your type though."

"I don't have a type anymore. I just want her. We've got plans next Tuesday."

Kessel raised his brows. "What kind of plans?"

"I don't know what her plans are, but mine involve getting her naked."

"Think she'll let you?"

"Good chance."

Kessel laughed. "You need to rub that shit into Biz. I think she broke his heart."

* * *

_JOFF: Would you prefer I take your panties off with my hands or my teeth?_

He'd sent the text an hour ago, but she hadn't responded. It was mid-morning, and she was at work, teaching all those little boys who probably had crushes on their teacher. He'd have a crush on her if she was his teacher. Just after noon she replied. He was on the bus, heading back to the hotel in Tampa Bay. He'd planned on a nap before the game. There was one more in Pittsburgh and then they'd be home for over a week.

_LUCY: I was hoping you could do it with your toes_

_JOFF: Kinky_

His phone rang. Joff answered it without even looking to see who it was because it had to be her. "But for real, hands or mouth?" he said instead of the customary hello.

"What?"

Joff's eyes widened. That wasn't Lucy's voice. Pulling the phone away from his ear, he looked at the display. Jacob. Damn. "Uh, wrong person. What's up, Jay?"

"What's the deal with you and Lucy?"

"What do you mean?"

"She's on cloud fucking nine. I didn't know your dick was that big."

Joff felt the grin spreading over his face. "Gotta go," he told Jacob before hanging up.

_JOFF: I hear you're really looking forward to getting me naked_

_LUCY: Says who?_

_JOFF: The street_

_LUCY: The street otherwise known as Jacob?_

_JOFF: Could be_

_LUCY: Jacob doesn't know what the hell he's talking about. I'm pretty blasé about the prospect of seeing you naked. I do have my own copy of The Body Issue now. So, I can see you without clothes whenever I want_

His grin got bigger as he read her response. "What's with you?" Bozak asked, looking back at Joff.

"Making plans to get laid," he replied matter-of-factly.

Bozak shook his head. "It been that long for you, Lupul?"

* * *

She had no idea when he’d be back in town. Sometime late Tuesday night or maybe on Wednesday morning. Hockey was a mystery, especially the inner workings. She knew the basics--skate around and get the puck behind the goalie and into the net--but how everything was coordinated behind the scenes and the rules of the game were above and beyond anything she’d ever cared to know.

Now she really wished she knew his schedule, though. Lucy couldn’t ask because then he’d tease her for being so eager after denying him for so long. And he’d be right; she was more eager than she’d ever been because she already knew how good his body felt against hers.

She broke down and watched the game against Pittsburgh before slipping into an oversized black T-shirt and crawling into bed. Maybe he’d call her after work. Maybe they’d have dinner tomorrow night and spend a romantic evening together. Maybe he’d fall asleep in her bed without any clothes on. After she’d had her way with him, of course.

There were reruns of old sitcoms on. She watched a couple, and then flipped to the twenty-four hours news channel. When it got old, she moved on to late-night programing and trashy reality TV. It was after midnight, and she couldn’t sleep.

“This is so weird,” she mumbled, flipping over onto her stomach and wedging a hand underneath her body to slide inside her panties. She’d hated him a few months ago, thought he was a douche who wasn’t worth two minutes of her time. And now look what had happened.

Lucy was wet at just thought of him in her bed without clothes on. Or maybe him completely naked standing in front of her fridge with the door open, drinking directly out of the carton of orange juice. She could go for some hot sex on the kitchen table. Flipping over again and settling onto her back, she bent her knees and started working herself more aggressively. Maybe she just need to get off so she could relax and fall asleep.

Her phone started ringing and vibrating across the night stand. She grabbed it and answered because there was no doubt it was him.

“Joffrey Lupul,” she said softly.

“I think that guy is at your door.”

Lucy pulled her hand out of her panties. “What?”

“Knock, knock.” She heard the corresponding thuds on her front door.

Without thinking, she hung up on him and jumped out of bed. She skidded to a stop in front of the door and jerked it open.

“I’m home,” he said, giving her a shy smile.

“You’re lucky I was awake.”

He stepped inside, looking more closely at her attire. Lucy glanced down and realized she was just in an old T-shirt and panties. “I’m lucky I caught you in not a lot of clothes.”

“Perv,” she accused, taking two steps back.

He kicked his bag over to the side and shut the door behind himself. “Did you decide if I’m using my mouth or my hands to take off your panties?”

It felt like a low current of electricity flashed through her sex. "How was your flight?"

"Long," he replied, stepping toward her as she backed up.

"It's not that far. A little over an hour, right?"

He reached out and grabbed her hands, pulling them up so he could kiss them softly. "An hour is a long time." He kissed her left hand and then her right hand. Lucy watched him freeze and then lift his eyes to look at her face. "What have you been doing this evening?"

"Watching TV," she replied.

Lupul grinned. "What were you doing just now?"

"Watching TV."

"Lucy, don't lie."

She looked away. "I don't know what you're talking about. I'm not lying."

He opened his mouth, but instead of talking, he guided the middle finger of her hand into his mouth. She gasped, her heart galloping in her chest, as he swirled his tongue around it and then sucked so he could pull his mouth off with a pop. "I can smell you on your fingers."

She felt the blush rise in her face. "Fuck," Lucy muttered under her breath.

One of his arms went around her body as he pulled her in close and flicked his tongue out to lick the top of her index finger. "Did you come yet, Lucy?"

"No, I just started."

He looked like a little boy who'd just walked into a candy store with twenty dollars in his pocket. "I'm just in time, then."

Her back hit the wall by the door. "You look nice in your suit," she whispered, eyes wide.

His shrugged off the jacket and let it fall in the floor. She was caged in, unable to move away from the wall and into the living room without rubbing against him. So she stayed where she was, watching him loosen his tie and unbutton the top buttons on his dress shirt and those at his cuffs. "We're not going to make it to the bedroom," he nearly growled, stepping into her body and dipping his head down.

Lucy parted her lips, eyes closed, and waited for him to kiss her. When he didn't, she opened her eyes and saw that he was only a few centimeters from doing so. His eyes were open, and his gentle breath was caressing her face and neck. "What are you waiting for?"

"Shhh, I'm just thinking."

"It's not really a thinking time."

He flicked his tongue out to wet his lips. "I'm enjoying the moment."

She roughly curled her fingers into the fabric of his shirt. "Joff," Lucy whispered.

That got his attention. Before she could say anything else, he devoured her mouth, lips and tongue and teeth. She couldn't breathe, but that was fine. Suffocating while he was kissing her like this was the best way to die. One hand cupped the base of her skull, while the other was on her body. She wasn't able to comprehend where because he kept moving it and the kiss was distracting. All her energy focused was on the way he moved his tongue and how good he tasted. Like coffee and mint and sex.

Thick fingers pushed aside the crotch of her panties and stroked her.

"Oh my god," she gasped, grabbing for his shoulders.

"I'm going to last less than sixty seconds inside you," he admitted, pushing two fingers into her. "So, you need to come right now. Right now or I'm going to die."

Lucy lifted one leg up slightly so he had a better angle to fuck her with his hand. His upper body pressing her into the wall held her up when her legs started trembling.

"You're so wet," he marveled, removing his hand and sliding the two fingers into his mouth. "Mmm, and you taste so good."

Her body was buzzing and her brain was stumbling all over the place because there were too many sensations. His other hand was on her ass. He sucked on his fingers again. They were wet with his saliva when he pulled them out. His eyes were shining with desire and playfulness and love. The fabric of his shirt was slick like the richest, most expensive ones were. His belt buckle was cold against the strip of skin on her stomach that had been exposed. Too many things for her to concentrate on and take in, especially when he slipped his fingers back inside her, curling them up and hitting that spot inside, right behind her clit. The spot that made her have the best full-body orgasms ever. How the fuck did he know how to find it so easy?

"Do it now. Come all over my hand. Now." His lips were moving against her neck as he glided the pads of his fingers over that spot before gently thumbing her clit.

"Joff, I'm...."

"Yesssss," he hissed, repeating the movement of his hand. His instincts were right. Twice more and she clutched at him as she came so hard she could only make incoherent, keening noises.

Before she could recover and compose herself, he had his pants unzipped and his hands on her ass. Two quick moves had her back against the wall and her legs wrapped around his waist. One hand on her ass and one on his cock, he pushed aside her panties and easily slid into her wet heat.

He cupped her ass with both hands as he kissed her. "Lucy," he whispered to her when he pulled back.

Either he was bigger than she was used to or sex in this position provided an amazing angle. "You're bigger than I thought," she gasped as he thrust into her.

Lupul let out a breathy chuckle. "You don't need to stroke my ego now." Two more thrusts and he continued with, "You're just so fucking tight. I'm not going to last."

Lucy grabbed the sides of his face with both her hands and pulled him closer to kiss her. "Give it to me," she whispered before slipping her tongue between his lips.

"Say my name," he pleaded when they ended the kiss.

"Lupul," she said.

"My first name, Lucy. Who's fucking you right now?"

"Joffrey," she cried out as he slammed into her hard, bumping up against her cervix and giving her that strange, pleasure that was part pain. And then he shoved his face in the dip where her neck turned out into her shoulder, his body jerking as he spilled himself inside of her.

Maybe it was the intensity of his orgasm or maybe it was how big he was, but she felt his cock jump inside her as he came.

"Fuck, Lucy. Why didn't we do this months ago?"

"I have no clue," she replied, running her hands over his back.

Gently, he pulled out of her and helped her lower her feet to the floor. She wobbled, and he caught her arm to steady her. "I wasn't that good. You should still be able to stand," he said with a smirk.

"Oh, I don't know. That's going on the hottest sex of my life highlight reel."

He turned her to face the living room and wrapped his arms around her body, pulling her back against his hard chest. "Give me a few minutes and I'll blow your mind. I can do way better than a minute up against the wall."

"I am not opposed to a minute up against the wall," she replied, letting him push her toward the couch. "Just putting that out there in case there is ever a question about it."

He chuckled as they both collapsed onto the cushions. Lucy was almost in his lap, and he didn't seem to mind. "You started it. I had this romantic little thing all planned out, and then I show up and you've been... Wait, let's talk about details of what you were doing while I was standing outside your house trying to prepare myself for this amazing feat of seduction."

Lucy covered her eyes, laughing. "I'm not giving you details. You know the mechanics of it."

"So, just your hands or were you using a toy or..."

"Joffrey Lupul, you're a pig."

"Hold on, let me go look in your nightstand drawer." He made a move like he was going to get up. She squealed and pushed him down on the couch again, scooting over so she was fully on his lap. No way he was going to get up and take a peek now.

When their soft laughter ebbed away, he lifted his chin up and used a hand behind her head to guide her down for a sweet kiss. Unlike the one against the wall by the door, this one was slow and lazy, but no less sexually charged. She started thinking about how much it sucked that she had to work in the morning because she'd rather spend the next twenty-four hours in bed with him.

"You have no idea how happy I am right now," he said when he pulled away.

"Disgustingly happy?"

"Disgustingly. Never been happier."

She swooned. If these were lines, then she was just going to go on believing them because it felt so good to curl up in his arms and listen to him tell her how he wanted to be nowhere but with her. "Hey, I totally watched your game tonight," she told him, laying her head on his shoulder. He smelled so good.

"Wow, Lucy. Did you die of boredom?"

Lucy looked up at his grinning face. "Almost. But you were pretty hot in your little uniform."

He snorted to suppress laughter. "My little uniform? Am I six years old or something?"

Her hand trailed down his chest and stomach to skim over the crotch of his pants. He'd tucked himself back in, but he was still unzipped. "Nope. I think you're grown. But it's still a cute little uniform."

He shook his head and kissed her. "Remind me to never take you to a game until we have a talk about terminology and what shit is called."

Wiggling to get more comfortable, she said, "So, what was this grand plan to seduce me tonight?"

"I was thinking a little music, a little dancing....”

She laughed and put her head back down on his shoulder. “A little dancing?”

“What? You don’t think I can dance?”

“I’m sure you can. How well is up for debate.”

“Always busting my balls. You’d think you’d have gotten over that.”

She arched her body into him as he pulled her closer. “It’s too much fun to stop now,” Lucy replied. She squeaked as he pushed her over and dumped her body onto the couch. He jumped up, easily evading her reaching hands as she tried to pull him back down.

The living room was dark, the only illumination was the small recessed light right in front of the door. He walked over to where she kept her laptop on the bookcase and opened the lid.

“What are you doing?”

“Looking for a song,” he replied without turning around.

“If you play Bootylicious and dance around to it, I’ll do anything you want.”

He looked over his shoulder and raised an eyebrow. “Bootylicious?”

Shrugging Lucy said, “You’ve got the ass for it.”

“Checking out my ass, eh?”

“Always,” she said, tugging the hem of the shirt down to cover more of her thighs.

The soft, ambient sounds of a song came out of her speakers. He turned around to look at her right as she recognized the track.

“This isn’t Bootylicious.”

“Come here,” he said, holding his hand out.

Lucy smiled at him. He looked gorgeous in his black slacks and white shirt with the light blue tie hanging loose around his neck. “Your fly is still open,” she replied as she stood up and walked over to meet him in the middle of the floor.

“Easy access. Never know when you’ll need my services.”

She stepped into him, shaking her head at his ridiculous jokes. Lupul’s arms went around her waist, pulling her lower body close. Her arms instinctively looped around his strong neck as the vocals started. It was a song by The Antlers. By all accounts it sounded like a mournful tune; the vocalist’s voice had a tenderness to it, almost like he was weeping.

But it was perfect as she swayed with him, eventually dropping her forehead to rest on his collarbone. It spoke about airing grievances and moving on to reconcile. Forgiving, but not forgetting. Learning to trust again and making peace with the fact that sometimes you’re just meant to be.

The warmth of his strong arms around her and the memories of all they’d been through with each other in the past few months made her heart swell. Maybe the missteps and the friendship were needed in order for them to be able to finally accept what was between them as something real and important.

“This song has one of my favorite lines ever,” she whispered, looking up at him, a few moments before Peter Silberman sang them.

Lupul smiled softly down at her. “Kicking?” His voice was soft, barely heard over the music.

She nodded. Of course he knew what line she was talking about. Why did she ever think he wasn’t worth her time? The line was a plea: you can’t keep running out, kicking yourself off the bed, kicking yourself in the head, because you’re kicking me too. “I love that. It says so much with so few words.”

“Hey, Lucy,” he said, pulling her a little closer.

“Hey, Joffrey,” she replied, looking up at him through her lashes. He was gorgeous. It felt strange to have him in her house like this after spending so long playing games back and forth, wanting but denying.

“I love you.”

Her heart almost exploded. It’s been a long time since she’d been in a relationship where things had gotten to that point. She couldn’t think of anyone else she’d rather hear those words from than the man standing in front of her.

“You been waiting to say that for the past week?” she teased.

The corners of his mouth lifted up. “I’ve been waiting to say that all my life.”

I might pass out, she thought. I might just melt into a puddle on the floor and lose consciousness because my heart cannot handle this level of intimacy and love. Instead she cupped the back of his head in her right hand and pulled him down for a kiss. Just before their lips touched, she whispered, “I love you, too.”

His reaction was was strong, but tender as he pressed her tightly against him and opened his mouth to give her a deep kiss, his tongue sweeping into her mouth and claiming her as they swayed slowly to the music.


	7. Chapter 7

He was already wishing he could put his life on hold for a couple days so he could spend them with her. The thought that he would have to leave her house in less than eight hours was weighing heavy. Joff consoled himself with the knowledge that he could see her again for dinner. He wouldn't be sleeping in his own bed tomorrow night if he had any say in the matter.

Six days in town, two home games, and six nights in her bed. If she let him. He'd always been the one who wanted time away, telling girls that he didn't want to see them every night. Whenever they’d questioned him, he'd fed them a line about the sex being so much better when there was time apart. He didn't think he'd be happy sleeping alone in his bed knowing that Lucy was a few minutes away in hers, though.

"You're poking me," she whispered in his ear. The song had ended and transitioned into the next album. They were still swaying gently in the middle of the dark living room. It wasn't really dancing, but she was close and it was perfect.

"Poking you?" he asked, looking down at her.

She shifted her hips, and he could feel the pressure on his dick as it hardened further. Oh, poking her. With that.

He pulled her lower body closer so he could grind himself against her. "Sorry, I thought you liked it," he replied before he kissed her neck.

"I love it," she said in a breathy voice that shot straight to his cock, bringing him to full attention.

Joff let go of her and stepped back. "You've got five seconds to get to your bedroom or we're going on the floor right here."

He meant for it to be a joke, but as soon as it came out his mouth, he knew it was true. If she stood there for much longer, he was going to rip her panties off and take her on the closest horizontal surface. Her hardwood floors would be hell on his knees, though.

Lucy squealed and turned to run down the hallway. He couldn't stop the smile that spread over his face as he followed her. Why hadn't he done this a couple years ago when he met her for the first time? Why had he been so stupid?

She was kneeling in the middle of her bed, the T-shirt barely covering the tops of her thighs. Her lips were plump and pink from his kisses, and they were turned up into a broad smile.

"You're slow," she told him when he stepped into the room.

"I gave you a head start to even the playing field."

Lucy's laughter was musical, bouncing off the walls. "Do I get a strip tease?"

He raised his brows. "What do I look like? Magic Mike?"

"Actually..." she said, grinning, “you might look a little better than Magic Mike."

Taking another step into the room, he said, "I'll take mine off if you let me watch you take yours off."

"You first," she replied, sitting back on her heels. "You have more clothes on."

Really, he just wanted to rip everything off and slide up inside her. He remembered the feeling very well, and he was anxious to explore it again. "I'm not dancing," he warned her as he pulled the tie off and started unbuttoning his shirt..

Lucy's eyes were huge and her pupils were blown. She licked her lips as he finished with the buttons and shrugged out of the shirt. Joff grinned at her. "I thought you were blasé about getting me naked since you have your own copy of The Body Issue."

"This is me being blasé," she replied, her hands fisted in the hem of her T-shirt.

He unbuckled his belt and unbuttoned his slacks before he toed off his shoes. "Better catch up, Lucy."

Her eyes were on his body, and he was loving it. He had her now. She wanted him as much as he wanted her, and it felt like such a relief. He had been afraid her feelings didn't run as deep as his or that their sexual chemistry would fizzle out. Thar was the furthest thing from reality.

She hiked up the T-shirt and hooked her thumbs into the hips of her panties, dragging them down her thighs. The T-shirt dropped before he could see anything, though. His cock throbbed in response. There was a good chance one or both of them wouldn't be able to walk tomorrow.

Joff let his slacks drop to the floor and quickly pulled off his socks.

"Jesus, Joff. You look...."

She didn't finish, but he smiled at her because he knew it was a compliment. "I look what? Good? Bad?"

"It's so fortunate you wear clothes. I don't think I can carry on an intelligent conversation with you when I can see..."

He lowered his boxer-briefs and stepped out of them. He'd never been modest or worried about what anyone thought of his body, but he wanted her to like it. When he looked up at her, she was slack-jawed and wide-eyed. "Staring is rude, Lucy."

Her eyes were on his cock. She flicked them back up to look at his face. "I was admiring," she replied, red-faced and flustered.

"Take the shirt off."

"You take it off," she shot back, pulling herself back up to her knees.

Joff stepped up to the bed and grabbed a fistful of the shirt in his hand. Jerking her closer to him, he kissed her hard, letting the urgency and need bleed into the kiss. He wanted to take it off himself, but he also wanted to see her lift it over her head so he could have a moment to look at her body. The body she'd been hinting at with her snug jeans and fitted T-shirts. "We had a deal. I showed you mine, you show me yours."

When he let go of her, she crossed her hands at her wrists and grabbed the hem of the shirt, lifting it up. Joff stood back and watched her reveal her plump thighs, the little patch of dark hair that sat over the slit of her pussy, her stomach and shapely hips, her waist that sloped up into her ribcage and tits. They were a generous handful each with pink nipples that were pebbled and pointing at him. She flipped the shirt over her head and tossed it onto the floor at his feet.

"Happy now?" she asked, sitting back on her heels again.

He crawled onto the bed and pushed her back into the mattress. "So fucking happy," he whispered in her ear before he ran the flat of his tongue down her neck and across her chest until he arrived at one of her nipples. Gently he took it in his mouth and sucked, tasting the salt of her skin.

"Joff," she gasped, her fingers buried in his hair so she could hold him close while she arched into his mouth.

He dipped a finger inside her spread legs. She was dripping wet. Probably a combination of his attempts at turning her on and the fact that he'd already come inside her. Joff growled as he switched to her other tit. Using his hand, he guided his cock into her and bore down. Instinctively, Lucy's legs wrapped around his waist so she could dig her heels into his ass. Her pussy muscles clenched hard around his dick when she moved her hips. "Fuck, Lucy. I'm gonna come again if you don't stop."

She laughed softly. "I'm not doing anything."

He grabbed her wrists and pinned them over her head with one of his hands. “You were squeezing me,” he said before slipping his tongue between her lips to taste her. “That’s not playing fair.”

Lucy did it again, squeezing his dick inside her as she lifted her hips up. “Stop teasing me,” she said. He could feel her trying to tug her hands out of his grasp, but he held on tight.

Slowly, he pulled out and pushed back in, savoring how hot and wet and tight she was. “Did you ever think you and I....” He didn’t finished because he got lost in how good it felt to be inside her.

“Never. Even if I always thought you were sexy as hell.”

He chuckled. “Always, eh?”

“I still thought you were a douche. Just a sexy one,” Lucy reminded him with a grin.

Joff slammed into her hard on the next thrust, and it wiped the smirk right off her pretty little face. Pleasure parted her lips to pull in a sharp breath while her eyes clouded with heat. “What do you think of me now, Lucy? Still a douche?”

“You’re my favorite person in the entire world,” she whispered softly as she struggled to lift her hips up into his thrusts.

She felt so good he wanted to slow down time and spend the next few hours living in that moment--buried deep inside her heat while she looked up at him with dreamy eyes and told him he was her favorite. Not just anyone’s favorite, but hers. And she was special. Not an easy catch, but worth every second of the time he’d spent. Because it was an investment in his future, not just a fun moment or two in his life.

“I want to deserve to be your favorite person,” he whispered in her ear before pressing kisses down her neck and across her delicate collarbone. “I love you.”

He’d let her hands go, and now she was touching him everywhere. It was almost too much. Her soft, little hands ghosting over his biceps and back, his neck and shoulders, his sides and chest. Her short nails scraped gently across his nipples as he ground her down into the mattress. A soft moan tumbled from her lips, and he thrust into her again, holding it and pressing her down hard.

“I love you, too, but I think you’re going to kill me. I can’t stand feeling this good.” Her voice was weak and shaky.

“Better than your vibrator?”

“Who says I have a vibrator?” she asked, sounding winded and out-of-breath.

He threw his arm out to the side and jerked open her nightstand drawer. She protested when she heard him fumbling.

“Hey, stop invading my privacy.”

“What’s this, Lucy?” he asked with a grin, sliding up into her and holding still as he displayed the little purple cylinder with a tapered end.

“Back massager,” she replied, bucking up into him. “Come on, Lupul. Don’t stop.”

He laughed, and lifted himself up to kneel between her legs, making sure that he didn’t slide out of her welcoming pussy. “Back to my last name now?”

“Joffrey,” she said with a devious grin, reaching out to slide a hand down his stomach. He could feel muscles jump at her light touch.

“I think this is for...” He paused and twisted the end of the vibrator until it was buzzing in his hand. “This...” he concluded, laying it lightly at the top of her slit, right where her clit was swollen. 

“Joff!” she squealed, grabbing the hand that held the toy, trying to pull it away.

“What? Am I doing it wrong?” he asked with a grin.

“Oh, god, no. You’re doing it right, but it’s too much.”

He pulled out of her until he could see the head of his cock before sliding back in. Really, he wanted to lean in and fuck her so hard he’d break the bed in two, but he wanted her to come first. He pulled out to make a second stroke while the vibrator was buzzing away on her clit and causing interesting sensations in his dick.

Looking down at her, he only saw intense pleasure. Her eyes were shut tight and her head arched back so her chest was on full display, rising and falling so rapidly. “Does it feel good, Lucy?”

Her eyes fluttered open and she leveled her dark gaze on him. “You feel so good,” she whispered. “I’m... so close.”

And then she fell apart and cried out, a wordless animalistic sound that shot straight down his spine and into his dick. He pulled the vibrator away and laid himself over her body, pumping into her while she came around him. It only took a handful of seconds before he pressed his mouth against hers and came, filling her up for the second time that night.

* * *

Lucy was asleep, her face peaceful and her eyelids hiding those magnetic, intelligent, loving eyes. He rested there with his head propped up on his hand and watched her face, every now and then running his eyes down her body to where the sheet covered her, cutting across one pink nipple.

There was an unfamiliar, tight feeling in his chest. Usually that meant anxiety or shame or discomfort. But this was different because it was pleasurable, like there wasn’t enough room in his chest to house the depth of what he was feeling.

When they’d finished, he’d taken her glasses off and laid them on the nightstand, and then they’d both laughed and giggled as they searched through the sheets for the vibrator, which was still buzzing away. He’d found it beside his knee and switched it off before he laid down beside her.

“You know I dreamed about you for twenty-nine years before I saw you,” she’d whispered in his ear.

Joff had smiled and pulled her closer. They were lyrics from The National song that had started their awkward and frustrating dance on the balcony of his house in Newport Beach. But every moment had been worth it if this is where that dance had led.

Now it was almost six, and she’d have to get up soon to go to work. He missed her already. Just a day, he kept telling himself. You can see her tonight. She has to let you see her tonight.

“What are you thinking about?” she asked. He met her gaze, surprised she had awoken so quietly.

“How crazy I am about you,” he whispered, brushing his lips over her forehead.

“I’m thinking how I don’t want to go to work. I just want to stay here and let you...”

Joff grinned when she trailed off, a blush coloring her cheeks, visible even in the pre-dawn light of her bedroom. “Let me what?”

“Love me,” she whispered.

Fuck, he thought, I wonder if she can hear my heart beating.

“I’d kill for that,” he replied, brushing her bangs to the side.

“What are your plans for the day?”

“The gym, thinking about you, practice, thinking about what you look like naked, late lunch with Jacob, wishing I was having lunch with you, sitting at home and waiting for you to get off work so I can come over here and do whatever you want me to.”

She laughed softly. “Whatever I want you to?”

“Oh, you know... hang curtains, open pickle jars, service you sexually, boyfriend stuff.”

* * *

"This is so weird, man," Jacob said, unlocking Lucy's front door.

"Why is it weird?" Joffrey had his friend meet him at Lucy's place at two-thirty to let him into her house.

"You and Lucy. Weird. You two spent two years completely ignoring each other because you both thought the other one was an asshole. And now you're... doing it? With my cousin? Gross."

"Who says we did it?" Joff asked, following Jacob into the house and taking the bags from the market into the kitchen.

Jacob sat down on the couch and kicked his feet up on the coffee table. "You're in the best fucking mood ever, and you're sneaking into her place to cook her dinner. Obviously, you got laid."

"I can't be nice just to be nice?"

Jacob raised one brow. "Not this nice." Joff walked back into the kitchen, and Jacob followed behind. "Are you just fucking around with her? Because if you are..."

"It's not like that," Joff told his friend.

"She's been through a lot, man. She's not like those other girls."

Joff stowed the chicken in the fridge. "I know. I care about her."

"You care about all of them." Jacob looked unconvinced.

Joff stopped putting the groceries away and turned to face his friend. "I'm in love with her."

Jacob stared at him for a couple beats, his eyes blinking and his mouth hanging open. "What?"

"You heard me," he replied, pulling a bag of mixed greens out and sitting them on the counter. "Where does she keep the bowls?"

Jacob walked over to the cabinet by the fridge and pulled out a large salad bowl.

"Thanks, man," Joff replied, accepting it.

"Serious?"

"Serious about thanking you for the bowl? Yeah, sure."

"Since when are you in love with my cousin?"

Joff pulled a cutting board off a hook on the wall and found a knife in a block on the counter. "I don't know. But I am, so you can back off because my intentions are honorable, DAD."

* * *

She had a pile of book reports on her desk and only four more left to grade before she could leave. Sometimes she would take them home and work on them in the evenings while she listened to music or watched TV, but she got the impression HE was coming over when she got home. She didn't know what to call him anymore. Lupul just didn't seem right now that they'd confessed their feelings. Joffrey was too formal. Loops just made her one of the guys. She'd called him Joff last night. Maybe that would do. He'd texted her earlier in the day, asking when she'd be home. She had told him around four-thirty or five.

The school day seemed to last forever because all she could think of was Joff and the way he talked and the way he looked and the way he felt. Would he spend the night again? She hoped so. She'd already looked up his schedule on the internet during her lunch break. He was in town for six glorious nights before he had to leave. Six nights that she hoped he'd be spending with her.

Her phone was vibrating across her desk with Jacob's name on the display. "What do you want, Jacob?"

"So, you and Loops?"

"What about it?"

"Just curious. It serious?"

"Maybe. Why?"

"He tell you he's in love with you?"

Lucy wondered where this conversation was going and where Jacob got that little piece of information. Had Joff told him? "Yes, not that it's any of your business."

"Just watching out for my baby cousin. I promised your mom I would."

Her heart ached at the mention of her mom and the memory of those last few weeks in which her mom had pulled vows and promises from the people she loved while she was on her deathbed. They'd tried to fit in as much as possible, but there had just never seemed to be enough time. By the final month, she was in bed most of the time, only able to have conversations between long naps. It was a sick, dark time.

"She never thought I could take care of myself."

Jacob laughed softly. "Naw, Lucy. She just loved you. Somebody's gotta have your back. It'll be six years next month yeah?"

Lucy had tears sitting on the edges of her bottom eyelids. If she blinked, they would fall. "Yeah."

"It gets better, yeah?"

"Yeah. Still sucks, but it gets better every year. I miss her."

"Me too. You know I liked spending summers at your house more than anywhere else. Aunt Rita's was the place to be." Jacob sounded wistful. Her mom had been like his second mother. It hurt them all when she'd passed away.

"Only because she let you use all the furniture in the living room to build a tent fort."

They both laughed at the memory of chairs and cushions and tables scattered over the floor as support for a massive tent that spanned the length of the living room. They'd spent most of their summers hiding in there with toys and coloring books and music. Her mom had loved music and always let them listen to old Motown records.

"You love him, Lucy?" Jacob asked.

She blinked and two fat tears ran down her cheeks as she looked out over the empty classroom. "I do."

"I still think it's weird, but your mom would have liked him."

"You think so?"

"Know so. But if he hurts you, let me know. I'll kick his ass."

Lucy laughed and wiped the tears away. "I don't know, Jay. I think he might be able to take you."

"He's all show. I'm a scrapper."

"Yeah, yeah. I need to go. I have four more book reports to grade before I can go home."

"God, you're so responsible. It's gross," he complained. "Have fun tonight. I think Loops might have a little surprise for you.

"What?" she asked right before she heard the dial tone.

* * *

She pulled into her driveway and parked behind his SUV. He was already here? She glanced inside the vehicle as she walked by, expecting him to be sitting in the driver’s seat waiting for her to get home. She could smell someone grilling close-by, maybe one of the neighbors  
Unlocking the door to her house, the smell of food wafted into her nose. Someone was grilling here. How did he get inside?

“Honey, I’m home,” she called out.

She sat her bag and jacket down in the living room and made her way toward the kitchen. She almost ran into him as he came around the corner to find her. “Hey,” he said, grabbing her elbows to hold her steady.

“How did you get in?”

“Jacob owed me a favor. I wanted to surprise you with dinner.”

He was perfect. She had been crazy to think otherwise. “It smells delicious.”

“Chicken and grilled veggies. And salad,” he added, nodding at the gorgeous bowl of fresh salad on the counter.

“Wow, what did I do to deserve this?”

His arms were around her, pulling her up against him. “You’re you,” he replied, kissing her softly on the lips. It was innocent at first, but when he came in for a second kiss, his tongue cheated between her lips and then they were hot and heavy in the middle of the kitchen.

“I’ve got ten minutes until the chicken needs to be turned,” he whispered in her ear.

“I’ve got to get out of these clothes,” she replied, looking down at the brown slacks and cream blouse.

“Which is why I told you I’ve only got ten minutes.” He dropped his hands down to unbutton and unzip her pants.

Lucy grabbed his wrists. “Hey, what are you doing?”

“Helping you out of your work clothes.” He used his hands on her pants to jerk her closer before he pushed them over her hips and let them fall. “Think I can make you come in five minutes?” Joff asked as he started on the buttons of her blouse.

She put her hands against his chest to steady herself while she stepped out of her pants and shoes. He dragged her shirt down her arms as soon as she’d finished, leaving her in just her underwear. At least it matched. “I thought you said ten minutes.”

“The other five are mine.” He pushed her back against the kitchen table. She slipped up on the edge of it, thankful it was sturdy enough to hold her and then some. Joff was on his knees, pulling her panties down her legs. Her brain short-circuited at the realization that within ninety seconds of walking in her door, he’d stripped her of her clothes and was about to devour her on the kitchen table.

She gasped sharply when she felt his mouth on her pussy, his lips open and sucking her as he dipped his tongue inside to explore. He ran it up and down, flicking at her clit each time he came back up. He worked her rhythmically, repeating the motions until she was throbbing in time with his movements, climbing that hill so she could fly back down.

And then, when she was near the crest, he slide two fingers into her and curled them up. “Ohmygod,” she said on a hard exhale. He was fingering her g-spot while he sucked on her clit. She careened back down the other side of the hill without any control. Her thighs were pressed against his ears and her hips were off the table, pressed into his face. Her ears were filled with a roaring sound as she came down, like she was holding seashells up to them. As the feeling came back to her extremities and the rest of her senses returned, she could hear his soft moans as he licked her lower lips. She jerked because of the sensitivity down there after he’d made come so hard.

“How’d I do?” she asked when he pulled back.

“You mean how’d I do? Pretty good. Four minutes,” he replied, standing up and wiping his mouth and chin off on the sleeve of his shirt.

Lucy extended her leg out to a chair that had been pushed aside in his rush to get her on the table. “Good, I’ve got six minutes. Sit down.”

“I’m taking you on the table,” he argued as he unzipped his jeans.

“Sit down in the chair,” she said again.

Joff grinned at her and shook his head. “Yes, ma’am.”

Sliding off the table, she knelt in the floor between his knees and grabbed the waist of his jeans. “Lift up.”

He did as he was told so she could pull the jeans over his ass and down his thighs. His boxer-briefs went with them, revealing his fully erect cock in all its glory. Long, thick, and perfect with just the slightest curve to the right. Her mouth was watering at the prospect of what she was about to do.

Lucy grabbed the base of him in one hand while she enveloped the head of his cock with her mouth. She swirled her tongue around him and sucked like he was the juiciest, most delicious popsicle she’d had all summer. When his hand came up to cup the back of her head, she released him and dipped her head to start at the base and run her tongue all the way up his length. She kept her eyes on his, watching through her lashes.

“Damn, Lucy,” he muttered.

“I’ve been wanting to do this for a long time,” she said before guiding him between her lips, taking every inch that she could until he hit the back of her throat.

“Fuck,” he cursed, his fingers flexing in her hair. She knew he wanted to grip her head and pump into her mouth, but he was too much of a gentleman. The thought was strange. She wouldn’t have thought he had that soft side to him a few months ago.

Taking mercy on him, she gave him what he wanted. Lucy gripped the base of his cock in her fist and bobbed her head up and down of the rest of him, hard and fast. Her saliva ran down his cock, and she collected it with her hand as she pumped the rest of him each time her mouth lifted up to his head.

“Lu--Lucy,”

She just moaned her response, never taking her mouth off him. He was close. She could feel the way his entire body was strung tighter and tighter. And then, with a choked cry, he lifted his hips as her mouth came up onto the head of his cock. Lucy felt him spill himself in her mouth. She swallowed and licked him gently until he was clean.

“I can’t move,” he said, head resting on the back of the chair.

Lucy smiled and stood up. His arm shot out and and grabbed her by the waist, pulling her onto his lap. “I thought you couldn’t move.”

“I can’t stand. Sit here with me for a minute.” His hands were all over her, eventually pinching the hook of her bra so he could remove her final article of clothing.

“I thought you were on a strict ten minute schedule,” she said, arching into his touch when he cupped her breast in his hand and rolled her nipple between his thumb and index finger.

He looked at his watch and chuckled. “You win. Three minutes. We’ve got three more to waste before I need to turn the chicken.

* * *

Lucy pushed the plate away and leaned back in the chair. “I’m stuffed. I can’t eat anymore.” She’d finished everything but a small piece of chicken and a couple pieces of broccoli. "It was delicious, Joff."

"It's a little weird to hear you call me that when you've been calling me Lupul since we met. What? Two years ago?"

"A little more than two years ago."

He turned his bottle of beer on the table, observing the label. "I feel like I wasted all that time."

Lucy shook her head. "You were having a good time."

"Not as good as I could have had with you."

"I wasn't exactly sitting over here waiting for you to realize it."

Joff glanced up to meet her gaze. "I'm glad you came around. I'm crazy about you."

"I can hear the sound of the heart of every single girl in Toronto breaking."

He laughed and dropped his gaze like he was embarrassed. How was he embarrassed? He knew he was hot shit with his sexy body and his sexy job. Lucy knew women who chased hockey players in hopes that they could get a night or two even if they couldn't score the big prize--a ring.

"Why me?" she asked.

"Why not you?" he replied.

"That's not a real answer."

"Because I can sit here with you and feel happy and content without words, but when we do talk it's always about something interesting, something I want to talk about. And I want to hear what you have to say about those things."

He was making her blood pressure rise, but in the best way. She stood up and sat on his lap, letting her arms rest on his shoulders. Joff's hands settled on her hip and thigh. "Are you saying you respect a girl, Joffrey Lupul?"

"I am. But I should also say that I think about having sex with you almost every minute of the day."

Lucy laughed. "Oh, good. As long as we can balance out all that sensitive shit with some good old fashioned I-want-to-fuck-you."

His hands flexed on her. "Keep talking like that and I'll fuck you on the table like I was going to do earlier before you got bossy with me."

"Mmm, I might have had fantasies about you taking me on this table."

She was in a pair of pajama pants and a tank top without a bra. The bra seemed like overkill when she was looking forward to him getting her out of the clothes after dinner.

Joff didn’t reply to the teasing comment about having fantasies of sex on the table. Instead, he grabbed her around the waist and launched himself forward out of the chair. She was on her back on the table before she was even aware of what was happening. He was fumbling with the fly of his jeans, finally pushing them halfway down his thighs to reveal that he was already hard.

She lifted her hips up when he grabbed the grey pajama pants to pull them off. “Damn, you weren’t wearing panties,” he said under his breath.

“I was hoping this might happen,” she said with a grin.

Roughly, he grabbed her hips and bent his knees so he could guide himself inside her. No foreplay, no sweet words, just animalistic sex. She thought the table might break with how hard he was driving into her.

Joff laid his body over hers, slowing for a moment as he rocked into her. “Is it as good as you thought it would be?” he asked.

Lucy’s body was humming with every motion of his hips because his cock was hard and huge and filling up every bit of her. “Better,” she gasped. “Don’t stop.”

He grabbed her chin and forced her to look at him. “Tell me you love it.”

“I love it,” she whispered, staring into his eyes. “I love you.”

The confession earned her a deep kiss that would have gotten her juices flowing if she hadn’t already been soaked from the way he felt inside her. Then he pulled back and slammed into her hard, using his hands on her thighs to keep the force of his rutting from sliding her back across the table.

“So close,” Lucy said, running the two words together.

“Come for me, baby,” he replied, urging her on. “I’m close, too.”

She did as she was told, a rough tweak from his thumb on her clit sent her flying off the edge, arching her back on the hard, wooden table. He held her down and rode out her thrashing, wild orgasm before he unloaded himself deep inside her with a desperate grunt.

Joff had laid himself out on top of her. It was pleasant and comforting to feel his weight right after what they had done.

“I don’t ever want to leave your house,” he said. “You, me, music, sex. We can have food delivered.”

“You’ll get tired of it soon enough.”

His lips grazed over her jaw and ear. “Never. I want this forever.”

The soft words spoken so easily made her breath catch in her throat. Forever with him sounded like heaven. “Me too,” she replied, touching his hair. He’d just had it cut in the past week, and it felt nice.

“I’m serious,” he said. “You want to go look at rings, I’ll propose tomorrow.”

She laughed. “Don’t jump the gun, Joff. Give it a week.”

He lifted his head and grinned at her. “A week and you’d agree?”

Lucy rolled her eyes. “Shut up, Lupul. And get me off this table.”

Laughing, Joff stood and pulled his pants up over his thighs, but didn’t button them. “Take a shower with me, and then we can go to bed. I was too tired to enjoying just lying in bed with you last night.”

Lucy grabbed her pajama pants and followed him down the hall to her bathroom. He’d joked about proposing, but her heart was still galloping at the thought of it. It was crazy and way too soon, but maybe one day. He was the first guy where she actually could say that to herself. Maybe one day.

* * *

They were lying in her bed, and he couldn’t remember ever feeling more content with his life. After showering with her, exploring her body with his hands and letting her explore his with hers, they crawled underneath her sheets. They hadn’t bothered getting dressed, instead they slipped into bed and ran hands across damp skin, pink from the hot water of the shower. He’d made a playlist of songs before she got home from work, and her computer was sitting on the chest of drawers playing the songs at a low volume.

He trailed his fingertips up her spine and enjoyed the way she shivered, cuddling in closer to his body. Her head was resting on his chest with his arm wrapped around her. “Ticklish?”

She looked up at him, resting her chin on his sternum. “No. It just feels good when you touch me.”

"Stop trying to seduce me," he said when the feeling of elation at her comment seeped into his veins and made his entire body feel amazing and happy and wanted. Not just wanted for his body or his status or his money, but wanted for himself. It felt strange and amazing and a little bit frightening.

Lucy's body shook with soft laughter. "That's not seduction. That's just the truth."

"Not that I'm complaining, but why were you ever single? You're perfect."

She laid her head down on his chest. "No one is perfect. We all have our flaws. I've probably always been attracted to the wrong kind of guys. Ones that haven't grown up and want to play in local bands even when they aren't really serious about music. Guys that aren't interested in marriage or whatever--cohabitation, even."

"Why?"

"Dunno. I'm not perfect."

"I'm not your type." He said it as a statement, not a question, because he knew it was true.

Lucy looked up at him again, her little chin poking into his chest. "Not really. You're a jock who likes clubs and gyms and attention whores."

"Liked."

"Well, you still like gyms and probably clubs and you're still a jock, Mr. Hockey star."

"I like you more than any of those things."

She shook her head and slid a hand up to let her fingers run over his smooth chest. The innocent touch gave him goosebumps. "You love hockey."

"I love you," he replied softly, splaying his fingers out and running a hand up her back.

"You're going to make a girl melt if you keep saying that."

Joff smiled down at her. Saying the L-word was so easy, and it was so true. He absolutely loved her and couldn't imagine life without her, not anymore. He'd been lying to himself when he tried to hook up with the girl in California after Lucy left. And he'd been lying to himself when he thought the blonde from the bar the night of his birthday would ever do. He couldn't even remember her name now. All he remembered about that night was Lucy’s gift and her note and the way it made him feel. Saudade. Deeply rooted longing a woman had never made him feel before.

"So, you're going to The XX show with me this week?"

"I told you that you didn't have to take the gifter."

"I want to take her. I can't imagine going with anyone else. You're it. Will you go?"

"Of course. You know I'm head over heels in love with you. I can't say no."

Her saying that she loved him always gave him a shot of adrenaline. Joff shifted in the bed, coming onto his side and rolling her onto her back. "Mmmm, it's good to know you can't tell me no."

Lucy lifted her head off the pillow and kissed him gently. He followed her down, deepening it as he placed a hand on the side of her face, pulling off her glasses and smoothly setting them on the nightstand.

He'd been half hard for a while. Lying in bed with her while they were naked and listening to music could do that. Now that his tongue was in her mouth and her little moans of approval reverberated through his body, he was almost at full attention.

Without a word, he slipped between her legs. She let him, pulling his shoulders down so she could continue to kiss him, stroke his tongue with hers. He moved the hand on her cheek down the valley between her perfect tits, down her stomach, and between her legs. Tentatively, he dipped the tip of his middle finger into her, testing to see if she was ready for him. She was dripping wet, and his cock was painfully erect now that he knew how much he turned her on.

"Excited to be in bed with me?" he asked, breaking away from her lips to run his mouth over her jaw and neck.

Lucy bucked up into him. "Always," she whispered in his ear.

He wanted this for the rest of his life. For this smart, independent, passionate woman to want him like this forever. Because he knew it wasn't just physical. This ran so much deeper and felt so much better than ever before.

His hand between them lined him up and a tilt of his hips allowed him to sink into her willing body. Her hot, wet pussy wrapped around him. With his face pressed into her neck and shoulder, he rocked into her, testing the waters and trying to make this last. The build up to sex for the last few months had been so strung out that he’d only been able to take her roughly, quick and fast and hot. Now he wanted something different, something slow and delicious that would end with her begging for him to finish her off.

“You feel so good,” she breathed into his ear. He felt the words all the way down his spine as he bore down on her a bit harder and tried to hold himself still for longer on the downstroke.

Joff curled the fingers of his right hand in her hair and pulled her head back to expose the tender spot below her chin. He placed an open-mouthed kiss there before sliding his tongue down her neck and grazing his teeth over her collarbone. “You feel better,” he whispered against her skin, pushing in and rocking his hips from side to side.

Her legs tightened around his waist and her short nails raked through his hair, down his neck, and out across his wide shoulders. “Joff, oh god, please.”

He smiled as he put his lips around one of her pointy little nipples, sucking her freshly-cleaned skin into his mouth. Her breathing was heavy, labored, sexy. Like she couldn’t stand how good it felt. He knew the feeling because he couldn’t barely stand it either--the way he felt deep inside her as the muscles of her pussy clamped down on him each time he pulled out. If he could go on all night, then he would.

“I... my brain won’t work,” she admitted between sharp intakes of air and forceful exhales.

“Stop thinking and just feel me,” he replied, moving over to take her other nipple into his mouth.

“I can’t feel anything but you. You’re everywhere and it’s... so fucking good.”

Pride and pleasure were rushing through his veins as he thrust into her, keeping the pace slower than what he really wanted. If he let himself go, then he’d slam into her and come in a matter of seconds; she felt that perfect wrapped around his dick. “Will you come for me, Lucy?” he asked, his mouth hovering above her own.

“Yes,” she hissed, lifting her hips up.

“Just like this,” he said. “No touching yourself. Can you come?”

“Joff,” she moaned. “Please.”

He thrust into her, bottoming out and rocking his hips up before pulling out again. “I can’t wait to do this to you every single night,” Joff said before he kissed her.

Lucy moaned into his mouth, her hands clutching at his back as he made little shallow thrusts into her, curling himself up to hit her at a different angle.

Whatever he did must have worked because her entire body went taut and still in his arms. She almost screamed her pleasure into his mouth while he felt her pussy grip him tight, pulsing with the intensity of her orgasm.

It was too much to ask of him not to follow her down, especially with the way she was digging her nails into the skin of his back. Two more thrusts and he let go, coming so hard he pushed her into the mattress and grunted with the effort of shooting into her.

“Don’t,” she said, wrapping her arms around his neck when he moved to pull out of her. “I like the way you feel,” Lucy explained.

Joff kissed her again and pressed their foreheads together. “Whatever you want, my little Lucy.”

She chuckled softly and tilted her head back to bring their lips together again.

* * *

The concert was packed, but he didn’t mind. It just meant Lucy’s body was pressed against the front of him, and he got to wrap his arms around her. The opening band had finished and The XX were just a couple minutes from starting.

“Do you, like, play for the Leafs?”

He looked to the right and saw two women standing there, looking at him with wide eyes. “Yeah,” he replied, tightening his grip on Lucy. She was also looking at the two women.

“Joffrey Lupul, right? You’re, like, my favorite hockey player,” the blonde said.

Joff gave her a kind smile and a nod of his head. “Thanks.”

“You like The XX?” she asked.

“I do. So does my girlfriend,” he replied, nodding down at Lucy who was still wrapped up in his arms. “This is Lucy. Sorry, we didn’t catch your name.”

The girl looked at Lucy like she hadn’t even noticed her until Joff pointed her out. “Oh, uh, I’m Candice. Candy.”

“Enjoy the concert, Candy,” he said, leaning down and putting his chin on Lucy’s shoulder.

Lucy turned her head slightly to look at him and he took the opportunity to kiss her. What started out as an innocent peck turned into a full-on kiss with some tongue action.

“You broke her heart, you know?” Lucy said, watching the two girls make their way back to the bar.

“She’ll get over it. The only heart I care about is yours.”

Lucy reached a hand up behind her and wrapped her fingers around the back of his neck, pulling him down for another kiss. “Stop or you’ll get me all wet with the romantic talk,” she whispered when he pulled back to look at her upturned face.

“Mmm, I’m starting early. Getting you primed for when we get home. I’ve been thinking about bending you over the arm of the couch for a few days now.”

Her free hand grabbed his leg, her fingers digging into the flesh of his thick thigh.

Joff chuckled. “Does that mean you’d let me?”

“You know I’d let you,” she replied right before the lights dimmed.

They started with a couple upbeat songs, one from their debut album. Romy Croft’s voice was soft and sweet and tender, murmuring the lyrics over the beats, at times blending so well with Oliver Sim’s voice. Three songs in and they paused before they started playing the spacey opening notes of Angels, the song Lucy had sent him the night they finally reconciled with each other. The night they finally talked, albeit through text, and admitted that they weren’t really friends or enemies, but something else entirely.

Joff squeezed her and placed a soft kiss behind her ear. “I love you,” he whispered.

She tilted her head back to look up at him, a gorgeous smile playing at her lips. I love you. He didn’t hear the words over the music, but he saw the way her mouth moved. The words were easy to read on her lips, and they made him feel happy and whole and like everything else in life would be a piece of cake because he had her next to him.

 

THE END

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading. All comments and kudos and messages are appreciated by this author. :-)


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